Category Archives: eminent domain

High Speed Rail Needs Land. Your Land.

Building high speed rail takes land. Acquiring land is challenging,  it’s like trying to take a dog bone away from a possessive dog. The dog wants its bone. A landowner wants to keep his land in tact. 

Texas High Speed Rail has been meeting with citizens to discuss plans and address issues land owners may have.  Kudos to them for addressing the growing pains head on with Texans.

In California, high speed rail is in the building phase. In the building phase, they have been u…

HB 565: No Eminent Domain for Private Toll Corporations

In 2014, a private tollroad corporation proposed new toll roads in North Texas. Town halls were held. Fire Marshals shut them down as too many people turned out against new toll roads. City  councils in the proposed toll areas passed resolutions opposing the plans to use eminent domain. 

Toll road opponents and private property rights supporters united.  

The 2015 Legislature will consider HB 565, which  will stop private toll authorities from exercising eminent domain. 

High Speed Rail Meets Private Property Rights Supporter John Wray

Building High Speed Rail faces challenges aquiring property. Rail takes a lot of land. 97% of Texas land is private owned. To build rail between Houston and Dallas requires crossing land owned by many landowners. 

Landowners are skeptical about eminent domain. They favor fairness and view eminent domain as inherently unfair. When eminent domain is exercised by a private company the skeptism raises to higher level like DefCon 1. 

These challenges were highlighted in an inter…

Ron Kirk joins Robert Eckels with Central Texas Railway AKA the bullet train comes to Texas

Ron Kirk will serve as  senior advisor. He joins Robert Eckles and Tom Schieffer.

Central Texas Railway has been hosting public forums to discuss its projected Dallas to Houston route. Landowners along the route have raised concerns. 

Building the bullet train requires land. Most land in Texas is privately owned by Texans, who love their land.  Acquiring land presents challenges.     [ Posted byadminPosted ineminent domain, railways

Breitbart: No Toll Road

A proposed new toll road in North Texas by the Texas Turnpike Corporation has garnered the attention of activists. Lots of activists.

A public forum was shut down by the Fire Marshall. The next public forum included heated and vocal opposition. Last week there was an organized protest by Texas TURF. And now Breitbart, the same organization for which Michael Quinn Sullivan writes, posted in opposition to the toll road. 

Besides the disdain for toll roads, the proposed North …

Toll Road Reversal?

The controversial Northeast Gateway, a new toll road project in North Texas, spearheaded by the Texas Turnpike Corporation, is facing a reversal of fortune. The North Central Texas Council of Governments may reverse its support for the project.

The project that has been greeted by over flowing crowds overwhelmingly opposed to the new toll road. Toll roads, especially toll roads by private companies, are not en vogue in 2014 Texas. Posted byadminPosted ineminent domain, legislative trend, roads, tollroad