Just when you thought that the assault on common sense couldn't get any worse, we have HB 2268.
This bill would give TXDOT the authority to purchase land for road alignments in advance of an actual project. TXDOT wouldn't have to conduct pulic meetings. They wouldn't have to have done environmental studies. They could just purchase land 'in case' they decided to put a road there.
What is going on? Why does anyone think this is a good idea? The purpose of study and public meetings is to allow public input and careful consideration of road alignments. Purchasing land ahead of this will severely limit the alternatives considered because the mentality will be..."we might as well put the road here...we already own the land." I guess the only part of this bill that passes the sanity test is that condemnation can't be used to acquire the land. Basically, a land owner would have to willingly sell the land to TXDOT.
This raises a few questions for me. Why would TXDOT want to do this? Where are they going to get the money to purchase the land? I thought TXDOT was in virtual financial crisis, that they were barely able to maintain existing roads. Do they now have the money to purchase land that they may or may not need? Instead of speculating on land, let's spend that on the roads.
A few reasons come to mind why TXDOT would want to do this. Number 3 scares me the most.
1. Buying land now, when plans are not firm, is cheaper than when you know your road alignment. Land values only increase. Perhaps TXDOT wants to offer landowners a deal that, had the landowner waited longer, would have cost TXDOT more and fairly compensated the landowner.
2. Perhaps TXDOT wants to purchase wide swaths of land in the hopes that when they do develop a road through them, they can then sell the unneeded land to commercial developers for a profit, enriching themselves and allowing developers access to land that might have cost the developer more at a fair market value?
3. Purchasing land before constructing a road will quiet opposition to the road in the future. Think about this one. When a new road is built, the opposition is strongest and most vocal from those who face condemnation. As a result, road projects are looked at with more scrutiny and face more public criticism. We'll take the Trans Texas Corridor as an example. The initial alarm was raised by folks who were scared of losing their land as a result of the road. Had TXDOT purchased the land ahead of time, perhaps the public outrcy wouldn't have been so loud and we wouldn't even be talking about moratoriums because most people wouldn't know what was going on until it was too late.
Think about this. But don't think too long. Call your Senator and oppose this bill, HB 2268.