“Eminent domain is not the end, it is the means — a tool the government uses for economic development.” —Brad Thomas, Embree Group
Paul Grenier, (D) the Mayor of Berlin and a Coos County commissioner took to the pages of the Union Leader yesterday to make the case for Northern Pass. “I take property rights very seriously,” wrote Grenier, then continuing on to rail against House Bill 648, asserting,
“HB 648 was specifically designed to stop the Northern Pass project, and some members of the Senate continue to seek amendments that target this project. However, if passed, this extreme approach would likely have much broader impact on our state than just taking out the Northern Pass.”
Mayor Grenier continues on talking about the Carson-Bradley Amendment to HB 648 describing the Senators’ Amendment as,
“Strengthening New Hampshire’s already strong property rights laws while maintaining an environment for continued development and job creation,”
and,
“[M]aking the use of eminent domain more difficult, providing increased protections for landowners and requiring private negotiations before eminent domain could even be proposed, the amendment provides a win-win for landowners, rate payers, and the economy of our state.”
After reading Mayor Grenier’s remarks, I find him to be sincere. My sense is he is an honest guy with pure intentions who desires to see the Northern Pass project happen while protecting and maintaining the property rights of the citizens in the North Country.
And somebody has to say this so it might as well be me. There are those who oppose the Northern Pass project for lesser than pure intentions. Within that coalition of opposition are the NIMBYists, the tree-huggers, the luddites and the eco-terrorists who fancy themselves as some kind of “environmentalists.” The harbingers of ruin.
Mayor Grenier tells us,
“[P]roject planners make great strides in efforts to work with landowners. Public records in the county indicate that they have purchased scores of properties through private negotiations. All of these land purchases have been completed without fanfare or complaints from landowners.”
I applaud those efforts and results. If what the Mayor is saying is true, then I have no complaint, personally.
My own opposition to the Northern Pass project arises out of the Kelo decision and Big Powers’ tradition and track record of not getting along or playing well with those in the community. Power line corridors are nothing more than large tracts of land that literally do nothing but operate as placeholders for transmission lines. It is these same corridors that often disrupt the use of private land where access is tenable otherwise. Big power seems to hire real estate managers with the nastiest of temperaments.
With all of the aforementioned said, I think we are merely nibbling around the edges here of the heart of the issue: Eminent Domain. How will it work in the context of this Northern Pass undertaking? The Northern Pass talking points and their plethora of surrogates, TV radio ads and talking points say the same thing over and over…”jobs, economy….yada, yada, yada….Nobody advocating for Northern Pass has spoken to the issue of eminent domain taking…their view, how it will work, or when they think it appropriate. There has to be a prevailing view but they are just not saying. All we continue to hear is the talking points and, “If HB 648 passes…{insert favorite economic threat}. Where is the honesty in that?
