Welcome to the Future!
What’s happening? Tesla, Brookfield Assett Management and real estate developer Dacra are creating the first in the nation neighborhood powered by Tesla solar.
Why is this important? Real estate development and sustainability are finding new partners.
How will this be important? “Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the Austin project will help shape the future of housing and sustainable technology projects”
Austin American Statesman | Austin neighborhood to be fueled by Tesla solar, battery tech
What’s happening? Maine’s November ballot will include the right to “growing, raising, harvesting, and producing food, as well as saving and exchanging seeds.”
Why is this important? This is phase 2.0 after the right to have edible gardens free from local or state laws against it, or HOA rules prohibiting it.
How will this be important? State constitutional amendments spread from one state to the next. Yes, this is a move to make sure Montosanto doesn’t own all the world’s seeds according to a Maine legislator.
Ballotpodeia | Maine legislature sends right-to-food constitutional amendment to 2021 ballot
What’s happening? Florida passed legislation that creates an 800 mile corridor that connects state parks to open spaces from the Keys to the Alabama border to allow wildlife to move freely.
Why is this important? This is a nuanced approach to environmental and conservation issues by Republicans that passed with broad bipartisan support.
How will this be important? The New Yorker spelled it out- this is a blueprint for other states.
The New Yorker | Florida’s Remarkable New Wildlife Corridor from the Panhandle to the Keys
What’s happening? The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case concerning a City of Austin ordinance that limits digital billboards to existing businesses on their property.
Why is this important? Impacts the playing field for billboards in Austin, TX and hundreds of cities.
How will this be important? Ordinances will change when this opinion comes out next term. We’re talking competing constitutional rights from property to first amendment.
Austin American Statesman | U.S. Supreme Court to weigh legality of Austin ban on digital billboards
What’s happening? In an abandoned steel community outside Pittsburgh, Fifth Season is using robotic, vertical farming of greens, and repurposing an abandoned manufacturing facility.
Why is this important? Innovation and Revitalization of Shrinking Communities.
How will this be important? Fifth Season hired only locals, uses 95 % less water and 98%t less land than conventional farming
What’s happening? The Goldwater Institute and Reason say Texas SB 968 (2021 | TX) is unconstitutional violation of property rights. The constitution has long standing standards for businesses to protect their customers as they choose. The bill seeks to prevent businesses from requiring proofs of vaccination.
Why is this important?“”The longstanding legal tradition has always been that businesses owe an obligation to protect their customers’ safety, at least to some basic extent, and this law comes along and says, not only are they not free to make that choice, but they’re prohibited from doing so.””
How will this be important? The article has a laundry list of Texas policies that conform to personal beliefs to protect business but protecting business outside personal beliefs doesn’t get supported. My takeaway —there is no consistency in property rights in Texas.
Reason | In a Rush To Ban Vaccine Passports, Texas Is Violating Private Property Rights
What’s happening? The legal analysts are on DefCon 2 reading tea leaves of Chief Justice Robert opinion siding for a nursery fighting a California law that required businesses to permit unions on their property for 120 hours to scout new members.
Why is this important? This analysts points to Roberts trying to keep the Court from swinging too far right. That the Chief Justice favors business and favors property owners over government regulations.
How will this be important? Chief Justice has many many years left on the Court walking the tight rope.
What’s happening? Colorado has dreams of the Front Range rail line. To further it, the Legislature is working to pass SB21-238 (2021 | CO) that would fund and support a passenger rail line.
Why is this important? Supporters say the district does’ t make rail happen but is a step toward a rail line.
How will this be important? Creating special districts can allow for taxation, eminent domain use and bond authority.
What’s happening? This week the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that business could not be forced to allow unions onto their private property for hours at a time.
Why is this important? The agriculture businesses that sued over a California state law argued that allowing a third party onto someone else’s private property without compensating the property owners, violates their property rights.
How will this be important? The ruling was 6-3 supporting that “a physical invasion” on property without compensation is a violation of property rights.
What’s happening? Residents of a small desert town are displeased by the town’s use of eminent domain to build an industrial water facility. They responded with an initiative and referendum, The Desert And Open Space Protection Act, to prevent the town from using eminent domain in the future on open spaces and private property.
Why is this important? This is a new approach to reigning in eminent domain
How will this be important? Once one town pulls back eminent domain by initiative and referendum other jurisdictions will follow. It’s like that rule about mice in barns, if you see there are 100s.