Transportation

Preserving farmland is high on the minds of West Texans. The Brazos River Bottom Alliance says Texas leads the nation in disappearing farm land. Texas without farm land is like Texas without cowboys, a seeming impossibility. [Odessa American]
 

Creative business enterprises Uber, Lyft and Sidecar, which all provide ride-share services, received a friendly letter from the District Attorneys of San Francisco and Los Angeles. Friendly in this case is defined as- hey companies, we think you’re breaking several laws,and we might sue you. The district attorneys raised issues such as whether proper background checks on drivers are being conducted; the threat to public safety for riders; ride share calculations violate state law; and failure to get proper state licenses. Expect California to regulate ride sharing more heavily both locally and statewide. [San Francisco Chronicle]

Private companies exercising eminent domain is eerily familiar to the TransTexas Corridor. TransTexas Corridor brought an emergence of grassroots groups opposed to a private, foreign company being granted the power of eminent domain. The Legislature ended the TransTexas Corridor years ago. But, private tollroad companies still exist, including The Texas Turnpike Corporation. It has proposed a new Northeast Gateway Toll Project. Vocal opposition to this project caused the first public meeting to be shut down by a fire marshall when capacity was quickly exceeded at the venue. The second public meeting turned heated with unanimous opposition. Such is the case when the words private company and eminent domain appear in the same sentence. [WFAA Dallas]

Imagine if Texas Legislators had to authorize eminent domain for a project to move forward? California hasn’t gone that far to make the Legislature approve eminent domain, but the California Public Works Board is voting to condemn a feed store, a vacant lot, and other Fresno properties to build the San Francisco-Los Angeles high speed rail line. [Fresno Bee]

The North Central Texas Council of Government did the right thing by hosting a public meeting on a planned toll road linking Bush Turnpike with Greenville. Unexpectedly the meeting drew a crowd. A really big crowd. A crowd too big for the school cafeteria. People were there to voice opinions about eminent domain. The big crowd caused a quick end to the meeting. There is nothing that pleases people who are upset more than being denied a forum to voice their opinions. Tempers are sure to flare.   [Dallas Morning News]

An interesting nugget from the article: “Blair Fitzsimons, the executive director of the Texas Agricultural Land Trust, said 

there are few options for private landowners in Texas who are fighting against eminent domain.” She goes on to discuss potential eminent domain protection from certain conservation easements.

High Speed Rail is progressing in California. Billion Dollar construction contracts have been awarded. But, there’s a hitch. Eminent Domain and right of way negotiations aren’t moving. Hard to build when land disputes exist. [Fresno Bee]

This is one to watch. In Texas, the FBI is investigating right of way purchases in North Texas, which some say was land speculating because of the potential use of eminent domain while constructing I-35E. [Denton Record]