So you would be OK with the Feds taking your personal property (real estate or other) for any reason they can imagine?
The government's right of eminent domain isn't something a single person can reliably make a judgment about, because many people whose property has been condemned would not be happy about it. However, it is essential for the public good, and Yucca Mountain is an excellent example of it.
Eminent domain is an absolute power held by governments that is essential for progress. Without it, you could not build highways, you could not have parks, public transportation, airports, or any other substantial government facility that some individual wanted to block. So, it really isn't something one person's view can reasonably be given consideration about. It is about the public good, and is recognized as a fundamental right of government.
Would I be okay with the Feds taking my real estae for any reason they can imagine? No, but I would be compensated for it. And as one who has been trained in the concepts of real estate law, I recognize the essential nature of these transactions.
Can there be abuses? Sure. And that is what the courts are for. I've had clients who were made wealthy by condemnations, and I've had some who, regardless of the money, didn't want to give up their property. But it just has to be done sometimes.
Yucca Mountain was selected pursuant to an exhaustive, scientific process as the best way of dealing with spent nuclear fuel. Given this history, it would be very difficult to argue against its use for this purpose.
My biggest problem with it is that it has taken 25 years to get through the process. Ridiculous, but this is what happens when government does ANYTHING. |
