Eminent domain bills look to back landowners in rural areas
“Two bills going through legislature over in Austin could change the way energy companies and land owners interact.
Many people are reaping the benefits of the booming oil economy and some lawmakers want to make sure homeowners are not being stepped on.
Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, and Rep. DeWayne Burns, R-Cleburne, filed legislation back in January to reform the current process of eminent domain.
Senate Bill 321 and House Bill 991 look to focus on three areas where private companies want to exercise this power to seize private property.
Those areas are requiring a public meeting to ensure property owners understand the eminent domain process and ask questions, mandating minimum protections that must be present in a contract and holding condemners accountable if they offer landowners less compensation that they are owed for the property.
BIG 2 / FOX 24 reached out to the Texas Farm Bureau. They told us this adjustment is necessary.
“Eminent domain is not a choice. It’s not a normal business transaction, because the property owner can’t walk away from the table,” said Director of Communications Gene Hall.
The TFB hopes this will create more transparency.
“They will literally make billions of dollars transporting energy through these pipelines over these lines, so there’s not reason to expect they can not pay more,” said Hall. “
read the entire article
Lozano, Michael. Your Basin 9 April 2019.