SB 174: Helping Railroads Take Your Land Faster

SB 174, the Legislature's effort to help the DM&E circumvent court delays in pending eminent domain hearings, passed the South Dakota House yesterday, 54-16. The Senate gave its approval a couple weeks ago 20-13. The District 8 scorecard:

• Rep. Russell Olson (R-Madison): Yea.
• Rep. David Gassman (D-Canova): Nay.
• Sen. Dan Sutton (D-Flandreau): Yea.
  

SDPB's Statehouse last night showed supporters arguing that this bill would promote economic development. Given Olson's and Sutton's backgrounds as economic development agency chiefs, their votes aren't surprising. But maybe we should encourage a little honest advertising and change our state motto from "Under God the People Rule" to "Anything for a Buck."

Supporters on the House floor also argued that SB 174 simply puts railroads on an equal footing with other industries in eminent domain proceedings. I'm all for fairness. But we should have gone the other way: instead of making it easier for railroads to take our land for their profits, we should have made it harder for all the other industries to use eminent domain.