District 12 Senator Amy Sinclair

With the House bill on eminent domain seeing amendments in the Senate, we hear the thoughts from the Senate President on those proposed changes.

District 12 Senator Amy Sinclair says that as the Senate President, she isn’t necessarily informed of amendments that the subcommittee and committee chairs make to bills as they come through the chamber, but that isn’t uncommon. She tells Raccoon Valley Radio her thoughts on the bill as it is currently written with the amendments.

“I think, in some ways, the property rights are weakened and I’m not necessarily in favor of that, but I also think that streamlining that process for getting a permit, and getting a pipeline in a position that doesn’t require eminent domain is ultimately better. Widening out that scope where they can move the pipeline through is honestly better for property owners who don’t wish to be a part of a project. It gives them the ability to say ‘no thanks.’ There’s no utility, or project, that actually wants to have to use eminent domain. So giving them a broader path to check with other landowners is frankly, I think, a good thing.”

Sinclair mentions that she understands some may not be in favor of the amendments made to the bill, but she is also certain that the way it was written when it passed the House, the bill would not have had the support needed for the full Senate to approve. She adds that while there were both positive and negative changes made, the bill is still being worked on.