Pipeline Eminent Domain Back in Spotlight With New Bills

摘要

Democratic policymakers continue to press for landowner rights to receive greater weight in the approval process for gas pipelines,illustrating that projects may eventually face a higher bar to earn the green light. Most recently,Oregon's Democratic US Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley have introduced a pair of bills designed to embed private property considerations into the federal approval process for gas pipelines and and"strengthen the rights of landowners facing eminent domain claims."Both proposals were first introduced last fall. Under eminent domain,interstate gas pipeline developers are often given clearance by federal regulators to take land if the intended usage of that land is found to align with the public interest-a process that has triggered numerous controversies and legal showdowns(NGW Aug.24'20).