In Major Win for Energy Sector, SCOTUS Rules in Favor of PennEast Pipeline
Inside Sources cites Director of the Center for Energy and Environment on eminent domain:
Myron Ebell, director of the Center for Energy and Environment for the Competitive Enterprise Institute, however, wondered if environmental activists will have the same opposition to seizing private and state-owned land for the high voltage transmission lines that are needed for wind and solar projects. Those lines will require easements through private property to build a network capable of the scale that proponents are counting on. Up to $8.25 billion is available from the U.S. Department of Energy for transmission line developers with nearly half of the funds coming from the Western Area Power Administration’s Transmission Infrastructure Program
“The power of eminent domain needs to be used properly and carefully,” said Ebell, who grew up on a ranch in Oregon that was subject to several easements to create rights-of-ways for various projects. “It has to be for a legitimate use, and pipelines are a legitimate public use.”