Add Freestone County to the list of counties that restrict the use of eminent domain for high speed rail over county lands and right of ways.
Category Archives: eminent domain
+1 County Requires Permit for Eminent Domain. Texas High Speed Rail.
The County: Freestone County
The County Commissioner vote: Unanimous
The requirements on high speed rail:
- require permits if high speed rail crosses any Freestone County roads and/or right-of-ways
- high speed rail must prove eminent domain
Freestone COunty Judge Grant view: “the Surface Transportation Board states that the Federal Government lacks the authority to grant eminent domain power to Texas Central Railway”
Freestone County Times | County Adopts Budget, Sets Tax Rate,…
Western High Speed Rail. Where Are They Now?
California is building a state funded high speed rail system.
Is the project behind schedule? Yes. The 1st segment moved its completion date from March 31, 2018, to August 2019.
What is causing the delay? Acquiring land which means Eminent Domain Delays.
How many land parcels are required for the Valley portion of the high speed rail first leg?1,590 parcels of property. 841 parcels were secured as of last week.
For 1 segment, the Fresno-Madera segment, what are the current cost…
2017 Promises. What the Right Says about Grimes County. High Speed Rail.
Empower Texas makes these points about Grimes County enacting county construction permits that will affect high speed rail:
- Big Business is looking to profit from eminent domain
- Rural counties oppose the project because of eminent domain
- Rural counties will not benefit from the project
- Texas Central Rail has assumed eminent domain authority
Empower Texas | Eminent Domain for High-speed Rail Faces Hurdle in Grimes County
LOCAL TREND. County Permits to Build Rail. 5 Legislators Comment.
Which County wants to require county permits before construction on high speed rail may begin? Grimes County, Texas
Is the proposal supported by state lawmakers? Yes. Support has been indicated by Sen. Schwertner, Rep. Schubert, Sen. Birdwell, Rep. Ashby & Sen. Kolkhorst
What would trigger a permit? Any construction crossing a county right of way
What would the application include? A requirement that the entity has state or federal authority to use eminent domain
Are other counties…
3 Pieces Informed Intel. Hyperloop. Austin to San Antonio.
Hyperloop travel time from Austin to San Antonio: 15 minutes
Hyperloop financing structure: Private
Hyperloop use of eminent domain: No eminent domain will be used.
Texas Monthly | Will Texas Soon Be Home To The Fastest Train In The World?
2 Reasons the Surface Transportation Board Declines Oversight of Texas Central High Speed Rail
The proposed high speed rail between Houston and Dallas will not be under the oversight of the Surface Tranportation Board because:
- The project is completely within Texas precluding oversight by the federal Surface Transportation Board
- Connectivity to Amtrack, the argument for federal oversight, was not persuasive
Is this decision permanement? No, if Texas Central “develop[s] concrete plans that would make the Line part of the interstate rail network…”
Texas Hyperloop. Yes to Royalties. No to Eminent Domain. The Informed intel:
The start up: Transonic Transportation LLC
The rail project: A hyperloop connecting Austin & San Antonio
The use of royalties instead of eminent domain: Instead of acquiring land, the model involves giving dividends and profit sharing to landowners
The pro-private proeprty rights angle: Since hyperloop track would be build on pylons, there is no barrier to access to land, unlike when tracks are laid on the ground.
3 Experts Conservatives Say Point to Subsidies for High Speed Rail. Be Informed.
A conservative writer points to 3 “experts” to support the argument that subsidies will be involved in Texas High Speed Rail:
The Expert: Stanford University economics professor Alain Enthoven
The Subsidy angle: Eminent Domain is a subsidy
The Expert: assistant director of transportation policy for the Reason Foundation, Baruch Feigenbaum
The Subsidy angle: federal Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) loans are subsidies
The Exert: Gerard Llobet, associate…
2 Ways Texas Laws Can Block High Speed Rail
The questions will be first answered by Attorney General Opinion request, RQ-0113-KP, and in all likelihood later answered by the courts.
- Is Texas Central Rail a railroad under Texas law, if it hasn’t built a railroad?
- Does Texas law grant Texas Central Rail eminent domain authority, if it isn’t a railroad? or, if it is a railroad?
Slate | Will Texas Law Trip Up a $10 Billion High-Speed Rail Project?