YOUR TEXAS AGRICULTURE MINUTE
Private property rights are worth fighting for
By Gene Hall
Some things are worth a fight. Like private property rights.
Say you own a beautiful home in the suburbs. A utility wants to build a pipeline through the back yard.
They violate your property rights so gas can be supplied to people down the line. The company made you an offer, but you didn't think that was nearly enough. You wanted to go to the courthouse, but you didn't have the money for a lawyer. Now, your Sunday cookouts are near a pipeline.
This happens a lot in agriculture. Farmers and ranchers struggle to ensure all of our private property rights are protected. It may be land. It may be water that lies under the land. Either way, the property is legally theirs. If either is to be taken, fair and just compensation must be made if someone else is going to benefit.
That's the law. The last sentence of the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution says, "Nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”
Texas was built on private property. It's the basis of our culture. It's the foundation of our economy.
In the court house, in Austin and Washington—it’s worth fighting for.
The preceding commentary is brought to you by Texas Farm Bureau, the “Voice of Texas Agriculture.” Called “Your Texas Agriculture Minute,” TFB will issue thought-provoking editorials each week—via print and audio—to spark understanding of agriculture in the Lone Star State and its impact on each and every Texan.
You may read this week’s editorial above or listen to the audio version.
Media outlets: This content may be used without further permission.