Eminent domain in real life is a sobering experience; and there is quite a bit of it happening around the country. It amounts to legal theft under the badge of government.

Speaking as someone who has fought seizure of property rights in Pennsylvania for two years with Houston-based Spectra Energy, backed by the power of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), we have turned over several rocks that the energy industry and government would prefer to keep quiet.

The 5th amendment to the U.S. Constitution emphasizes, among other points, “… nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”

The quiet secret of the energy industry in Pennsylvania and elsewhere is that “just compensation” for its lease agreements with the state government is very different from the same company’s “just compensation” for private property owners. It has nothing to do with the size of state lands and everything to do with industry politics.

For example, Spectra Energy cut a very different — and much better — lease deal with the PA Game Commission in Bedford County than the lease agreements it typically offers to private property owners.

But try to get a copy of that lease agreement. I am currently planning to file a Freedom Of Information request in order to obtain it.

Few are aware of this unequal treatment under law, but it will become a legal and political Achilles heel for the energy industry as more people become aware.

We are property owners who are sharing what we have learned with fellow property owners in North America who may be dealing with energy companies and property rights issues. For those who have never been threatened with the seizure of their property rights, listen to property owners talk about the experience.

You’ll find a landowner video and blog postings on our website:
http://www.spectraenergywatch.com/blog/