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Wyoming needs to build power lines, but wants to do so without sacrificing property rights. The solution: “requires the company to either acquire 66% of the entire land area or 66% of the landowners, before they would have the ability to use eminent domain [to build it all].” SF 181 (2025 | WY) is sitting on the Governor’s desk.
Cowboy State Daily | Legislature Making It Harder For Power Companies To Take Land For Power Lines
Los Angeles city council approved a self-certification program to accelerate rebuilding homes after the wildfires.
Not to be outdone by Los Angeles, the state Legislature is considering AB 253 (2025 | CA) that would allow home builders to have architects/engineers sign off on projects when local governments move too slowly to approve new building.
Governing | L.A. Considers Permit Self-Certification to Speed Up Post-Fire Rebuilding
HB 2348 (2025 | KS) seeks to remove tenure at Kansas universities. As a result, professors across Kansas are arguing against the removal of tenure as a property right. It’s getting messy. The Governor called for university budgets to be slashed if university officials comment on the bill. University officials say it will put the state at a competitive disadvantage.
“Not in my backyard” and “yes in my backyard” meet Colorado’s “yes in God’s backyard.” So, what is YIGBY? HB 25-1169 (2025 | CO), Housing Developments on Faith and Educational Land, would reduce regulatory burdens for faith organizations or schools to build residential housing on property they own. It is similar to laws passed in California and by Congress.
KOAA | ‘Yes in God’s Backyard’ bill introduced at the Colorado legislature
A group of Iowa Republican lawmakers introduced a package of 6 bills reigning in eminent domain. Supporters say that “These bills will return power to the people, will ensure that our laws are consistent with the values and beliefs of the vast majority of Iowans, and will protect our property from further invasions by private companies.” The bill package includes House File 238, prohibiting renewal of permits for pipelines transporting liquid carbon dioxide; House File 242, allowing for landowners impacted by eminent domain takings to seek a declaratory review in court, and House File 240, requiring pipeline companies to maintain insurance to cover priority damage.
Opponents include clean energy companies.
Remember last week when we talked about conservative protests in Oklahoma opposing a transmission line project because of their opposition to clean energy.
Texas Governor’s State of the State speech included support for reigning in squatters. He said, “It is against the law to live or stay on somebody’s property without their permission. We need stronger laws to immediately remove and prosecute squatters in Texas.”
957 is the average annual number of building permits for residential apartment buildings in Austin, TX. As a result, residential rents in Austin have declined monthly for the last 19 months. Average rent prices are now at pre-pandemic levels in Austin.
The Texas Attorney General will opine on RQ-0557-KP. Part of this opinion will clarify if all property owners within the designated radius, regardless of municipal tax roll status, have the right to protest, and what criteria determine valid protests in these cases?
A paper from The Heartland Institute argues that carbon capture is “the latest methods climate activists are using to combat greenhouse gases and achieve “net-zero” carbon dioxide emissions. The paper further argues that carbon capture, and its pipelines, harm property rights.
Montana Legislature is considering reforms to their property laws to limit squatter rights. Supporters say the bill is necessary to give the current law teeth. Opponents, including landlords, say the amendments are unnecessary because the issue is that law enforcement won’t remove squatters. SB 101 (2025 | MT)