When It Is About The Eminent Domain

Clean Line Grain Belt Express spokesman Mark Lawlor, when discussing his company's recent re-application to the Missouri Public Service Commission, told KMBZ:

Lawlor says this "isn't about eminent domain," which is one of the worries of many who live along the proposed route.  

"We will sit down with every single landowner and negotiate with them on the unique nature of their property. In fact we've been doing that for a couple years now."

If that were true, then there would be no need for eminent domain authority. 

Except the application GBE filed on Thursday stated:

What happens if a landowner doesn’t want to negotiate with Grain Belt Express?

The Company is allowing sufficient time for negotiations with each individual landowner along the route. Grain Belt Express is committed to conducting easement negotiations in a manner that respects the private property rights of landowners and achieves a voluntary easement acquisition. The Company is also committed to working with landowners to minimize the impacts of the Project upon their property. In order to ensure that infrastructure projects in the public interest can be completed, the entities building them need the right to condemn certain easements, particularly in cases of parcels that have title issues, parcels with missing or unlocatable landowners or heirs, or parcels where landowners refuse all reasonable attempts at contact or negotiation. Grain Belt Express views the use of eminent domain as a last resort that is appropriate only after exhausting all reasonable attempts at voluntary easement acquisition and title curative work. In all cases, landowners are entitled to due process and payment of fair market value for any easement acquired, and will retain ownership of their land.

So, no matter how many "landowner protections" Clean Line pretends to dream up, there's only one landowner protection that actually protects the landowner.

THE RIGHT TO SAY NO.

And IT IS ABOUT THE EMINENT DOMAIN to the landowners.

In fact, the eminent domain is at the heart of the opposition to this project.

Without eminent domain, Clean Line would have to:

...sit down with every single landowner and negotiate with them on the unique nature of their property.

But Clean Line doesn't even want to attempt that without having the right to condemn to use as leverage.

None of Clean Line's "landowner protections" will protect you.