Home

About U-Can

Abuse of Power

Contact Us

Land Owners Bill of Rights

When we examined Minnesota's new eminent domain statutes, we discovered our Legislature had fashioned laws that discriminate against certain landowners. We were shocked to learn that we had been denied our Constitutional right to equal treatment in the laws through exemptions from eminent domain protections granted to energy corporations. Under the new laws, citizens whose lands are taken by energy companies are barred from recovering attorneys' fees and appraisal costs-no matter how low the offer or how abusive the treatment. Why would landowners subject to condemnation by a public entity be entitled to recover fees and costs, while landowners subject to condemnation by private energy corporations are not? In addition, energy companies are exempted from the disclosure and good-faith negotiating requirements contained in the statutes. These inequities must be remedied.
Our members have also experienced shameful treatment in the State's administrative processes for reviewing applications to construct large energy facilities, including failure to notify, biased regulatory review, exemptions from filing requirements, shifting burden of proof away from applicants, and outright pre-approval of proposed projects.
United Citizens Action Network has issued a call to action to right the wrongs being committed under Minnesota laws when energy companies want to take our private lands. We have provided the enclosed Landowners' Bill of Rights to all of our State Senators and Representatives, and also to our Congressional Delegation. We urge you to

CALL OR WRITE YOUR REPRESENTATIVES to demand support for our Landowners' Bill of Rights.
\

Bill of Rights sent to MN Legislature