Transcanada Stealing Land -- Time to Raise Hell!

Big news of the month: SD Watch runs confirmation that Transcanada is setting the legal wheels in motion to strongarm South Dakota farmers out of their land. After only cursory preliminary contacts and zero cooperation or substantive negotiation (basically, "Our way or the highway, eh?"), Transcanada is sending out condemnation notices.

Technical Alert: SD Watch is experiencing technical difficulties (I'll bet the Canadians -- or maybe the PUC? -- are jamming his signal.)

All South Dakotans should be outraged. Just last year we outlawed the use of eminent domain for private benefit. Eminent domain is restricted to public projects. How is a pipeline a public project? No South Dakotan gets to pipe his own oil (or moonshine, or other preferred fluids) through Transcanada's pipeline. No South Dakotan gets to hang pictures or ride his bicycle on it. The pipeline produces profit for the private owner, and that's it. Indirect benefits ("oh, gee, America, you'll have more oil to to fuel your SUV's, eh?") don't cut it -- either the project is public, or eminent domain is wrong.

We need our governor to get the dollar signs out of his eyes and intervene. We can cooperate with Canada and big corporations, but when they start forcing us to give up property, it's time to say "No deal!"