Chesapeakegate: Texas Eminent Domain Abuse

GASLAND: The Movie a Fundraiser for Texas OGAP

2010-03-31T14:41:00.003-05:00

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The Chesapeakegate Scandal's Monday Morning Massacre

2010-03-15T17:07:00.006-05:00

The Chesapeakegate Scandal took a turn for the worse today.

On March 4, 2010, in Judge Sprinkle's Tarrant County Courtroom, Steve Doeung had a hearing in his fight against Chesapeake Energy's use of eminent domain to gain the right to shove a non-odorized natural gas pipeline under Doeung's house on Carter Avenue.

At the conclusion of the March 4 hearing Judge Sprinkle told Steve Doeung, and the crowded courtroom, that he had no choice but to sign the papers granting Chesapeake Energy the right to run a pipeline under Doeung's property.

Judge Sprinkle told Doeung that he had 30 days from when Judge Sprinkle signed the document to file an appeal.

Judge Sprinkle told Steve Doeung that he would be notified when the order was signed and the 30 day clock started ticking.

Today Steve Doeung went to the Tarrant County Courthouse to file a petition. Judge Sprinkle's clerk showed up as that process was under way, asking what Doeung was doing in the courthouse. Then the clerk told Doeung that Judge Sprinkle had signed the condemnation order on Tuesday, March 9. And that the CASE WAS CLOSED.

Are we looking at Judicial Misconduct here? Is this just one more aspect of the bigger scandal? How many more Chesapeakegate victims will there be before something is done to fix this corruption?

Your thoughts?

Texas Eminent Domain Abuse

2010-03-11T09:15:00.001-06:00

The perfectly legitimate concept of taking private property for the public good in a practice called eminent domain used to be used to take property for things like schools, highways, military bases, airports and other uses clearly for the greater good of the public.

But, this perfectly sensible legal power has been twisted to the point where private business now uses eminent domain to take citizen's property. In Arlington, Texas, thousands were displaced, their homes and apartments and businesses taken so a professional football team could build a new stadium.

In Hurst, Texas, homes were taken by eminent domain so a private business, the Northeast Mall, could expand its parking lots.

In Fort Worth, eminent domain is being used to take property to build a little lake and a flood diversion channel in a project the public has not voted for, that being the Trinity River Vision Project.

Also in Fort Worth, eminent domain is being used by Chesapeake Energy to force a homeowner to allow Chesapeake Energy to install a high pressure, high volume, non-odorized natural gas pipeline beneath his home and the other homes on Carter Avenue.

Your thoughts????