Find out what’s happening in Texas eminent domain news.
Trump Justice Department sues to seize private property for border-wall construction
Source: MarketWatch/AP
HOUSTON — Three years into Donald Trump’s presidency, the U.S. government is ramping up its efforts to seize private land in Texas to build a border wall.
Trump’s signature campaign promise has consistently faced political, legal, and environmental obstacles in Texas, which has the largest section of the U.S.-Mexico border, most of it without fencing. And much of the land along the Rio Grande, the river that forms the border in Texas, is privately held and environmentally sensitive.
Could a bullet train from Dallas to Houston actually improve Texas’ environment?
Source: Dallas News
North Texans have been talking about a bullet train between Dallas and Houston for years. Beyond the four hours of drive time or a trip to the airport, it also could be the cleanest and safest way to travel between the two cities, according to Texas Central, the company behind the Texas High-Speed Train. And the project could be just a year away from breaking ground.
And while it’s getting closer to reality, some opposition and a few federal hurdles stand in the way of the corridor’s construction.
2020: A Year of Pipeline Court Fights, with One Lawsuit Headed to the Supreme Court
Source: Inside Climate News
After years of mounting opposition to the increasing build-out of oil and gas infrastructure, 2020 is shaping up to be the year that pipeline opponents get their day in court.
One case headed to the U.S. Supreme Court takes a closer look at whether parts of the Appalachian Trail are off-limits to fossil fuel infrastructure and may determine the fate of two multi-billion-dollar pipelines.
Meanwhile, a question of potentially greater significance looms: Can pipeline companies continue to justify taking private land as the public benefits of fossil fuel pipelines are increasingly questioned and the risks they pose to the environment and climate increase?
