Bill would limit who can use eminent domain

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Green Belt Express and private property rights took center stage at a committee hearing on a bill limiting which companies can use eminent domain.

HB 1062, sponsored by Rep. Jim Hansen, proposes that no private entity has the power of eminent domain for the purposes of constructing above-ground merchant lines. Over the course of Monday afternoon and into the evening, roughly a dozen people testified on the bill to the House General Laws Committee.

“In light of the recent PSC decision on the Grain Belt Express, the General Assembly will act to protect Missourians from private companies trying to seize their land through eminent domain,” House Speaker Elijah Haahr said in a statement. “The legislation the House is moving forward is vital for many Missourians who otherwise would be forced to allow unreasonable restrictions on their family farms, damaging the value of their land and taking away their private property rights.”

In March, the Missouri Public Service Commission granted the Green Belt Express a certificate of convenience and necessity to construct and manage a new transmission line that will develop renewable energy and facilitate economic growth in the state.

Read more: https://themissouritimes.com/58922/bill-would-limit-who-can-use-eminent-domain/