Xcel using eminent domain to clear a route for its Power Pathway transmission line in Elbert County

STOSSEL: Eminent domain laws robbing Americans of their property

Politicians say they need the power to take property to build public projects like roads and railroad tracks.

Xcel using eminent domain to clear a route for its Power Pathway transmission line in Elbert County

KIOWA — Colorado 86 runs across Elbert County’s rolling prairies and pastures, verdant after the spring rains and dotted with grazing cattle and horses, but as bucolic as the scene is this is a battleground pitting ranchers and landowners against Xcel Energy. The point of contention is Xcel Energy’s plan to build a segment of its $1.7 billion Colorado Power Pathway transmission line along the highway and through the heart of the county.  The tra…

The Infamous Kelo “Eminent Domain” Decision Is 20 Years Old

This week marks the 20th anniversary of the infamous Supreme Court eminent domain Kelo decision. By a 5 to 4 vote, the court ruled that the forcible eviction of homes or businesses by private interests in the name of “economic development,” was a legitimate “public use” of eminent domain. At the time, the late Supreme Court Justice Sandra O’Connor wrote in her dissent that the decision meant: “All private property is now vulnerable to being take…