RALEIGH, N.C. – The N.C. House of Representatives’ Water Resources and Infrastructure Committee rejected a bill today that would have opened the door for the state to take over Alcoa’s privately owned dams, powerhouses and other facilities on the Yadkin River. A motion to move the bill, SB 967, out of the committee failed in a bipartisan 8-6 vote.
Yesterday, the N.C. Property Rights Coalition announced that it has joined the battle against the State of North Carolina’s efforts to seize Alcoa’s private property. The project is described at LeaveThatDamAlone.com.
Today, the Coalition will launch a radio ad criticizing the attempted government takeover of Alcoa’s dams and other privately owned assets along the Yadkin River. The ad will run in several media markets around the state. Click here to listen to the ad.
RALEIGH, N.C. – The N.C. Property Rights Coalition is joining the battle to prevent the State of North Carolina from seizing Alcoa’s private property, Chairman Kieran Shanahan announced today. The state is attempting to seize the dams, powerhouses and land Alcoa owns on the Yadkin River. For more information on the project, visit www.LeaveThatDamAlone.com.
“The North Carolina Property Rights Coalition is greatly concerned about the attempt by state government to take over Alcoa’s property in North Carolina,” said Shanahan. “We are joining this fight because allowing the state to seize Alcoa’s private property would set a dangerous precedent for North Carolina’s property owners.
The N.C. Property Rights Coalition faxed the following letter to members of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee earlier today:
July 15, 2009
The Honorable Patrick J. Leahy
The Honorable Jeff Sessions
The Honorable Dianne Feinstein
The Honorable John Cornyn
The Honorable Tom Coburn
The Honorable Ron Wyden
The Honorable Russell D. Feingold
The Honorable Sheldon Whitehouse
The Honorable Benjamin L. Cardin
The Honorable Amy Klobuchar
The Honorable Edward E. Kaufman
The Honorable Richard J. Durbin
The Honorable Charles E. Grassley
The Honorable Lindsey Graham
The Honorable Herb Kohl
The Honorable Orrin G. Hatch
The Honorable Jon Kyl
The Honorable Arlen Specter
The Honorable Charles E. Schumer
The Honorable Al Franken
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
The following was distributed yesterday by Catherine Heath of StopNCAnnexation:
EMERGENCY ALERT!!
House Bill 524 is on the House Calendar for tomorrow (today, Wednesday, July 8th) to be moved forward to passage!!
Listen tomorrow at 3 pm online: http://www.ncleg.net/Audio/Audio.html
Please call your legislator tonight and tomorrow and tell them you oppose this bill and want them to vote against it.
Find contact info for your legislator:
http://www.ncleg.net/GIS/RandR07/Home.html
House Bill 524 is the HOUSE VERSION OF THE RAND/League BILL S472!!
Remember; those are the League approved bills.
524 complements S472.
http://www.nclm.org/Legal-legislative/LegisBulletin061909.htm
The State House voted yesterday to send House Bill 1268, a proposed amendment to the state constitution to ban eminent domain abuse, back to the Judiciary II Committee.
More on the eminent domain amendment (blog post by Becki Gray of the John Locke Foundation)
The following was released earlier this week by The John Locke Foundation:
This week, the North Carolina House is expected to consider a constitutional amendment (H B 1268) to address eminent domain abuse. While the House should be commended for taking up this crucial issue, the proposed amendment is a cure worse than the disease. Through some minor changes though, this amendment could offer real protection.
The Latest Amendment
At the N.C. Property Rights Coalition, we believe that property rights are one of the cornerstones of free people in a free society. We encourage you to consider the following as you celebrate America’s Independence Day:
Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
The News & Observer (7/2/09): Raleigh councilwoman Nancy McFarlane said Wednesday that she will resign from her position as president of the N.C. Water Rights Committee, saying her involvement with the group has become a distraction.
The announcement is an abrupt end to an unlikely five-month marriage between McFarlane, a first-term City Council member who represents North Raleigh, and the committee, which was created last year to oppose the request of Alcoa Power Generating to renew its license to operate hydroelectric dams on the Yadkin River 100 miles west of Raleigh. more…
