While most people dislike the idea of condemnation of private property very few openly voice their opinion on this subject that is, until it affects them personally. The NIMBA (Not In My Back Yard) philosophy has been reported quite often in the media the last few years. The LNG (Liquid Natural Gas) issue has fostered the term from being relative unknown to a regular figure of speech for this decade all across the nation. While condemnation of private property has been a real issue with the pipeline route of the proposed LNG facilities that are being proposed on the Lower Columbia River, which in fact will affect thousands of people's property, there is a huge issue across the Columbia River that few people know about, but has begun receiving national attention. An issue that I believe is worth sharing with my readers.
While most of us go to work everyday away from our homes, there are still people who derive their lively hood from farming, one such family is the Colf family. That is until the Army Corps of engineers decided that the Columbia River needed to be deepened from 40 ft to 43 ft. from Astoria to Portland. What adds more sour grapes to this issue is that the Colf family is not opposed to the channel deepening, what they are opposed to is the mitigation that is being forced on to them, and the dispute has been going on for 9 years. The Colfs' family farmland will be responsible for 70% of the Corps mitigation plan, the Corps has been trying to obtain the property from the Colf's for the mitigation plan with out success, and now have decide to go with condemnation of the Colfs property.
Other property owner's have offered to sell their properties to the Corps for the mitigation; properties that by the Corps own studies have found the parcels to be suitable. The Corps has refused to consider other properties because Congress's plan for dredging and mitigation included the Colfs property. What I find disturbing is the government would go a head with condemnation proceedings, to condemn a citizen's property, when other properties are willingly and available with out condemnation.
The Corps statement: "we are not looking for willing sellers"! Says it all! The US government would rather pilfer a citizen's property by force, rather than go about acquiring the needed land in an honest nature. The other lame excuse the Corps is using is the concept, if the Corps would buy other properties it would put a hold on the dredging project and they are not inclined to do that. After all, 9 years of knowing about other properties one would think that would be long enough to solve this relative simple issue. But than again, we are dealing with the US government and nothing is simple when working with them. The ports of Longview, Kalama, Woodland and Vancouver were informed by the Corps to start the proceedings to condemn.
The Colf family offered to give Martin Island to the Corps, the island is 447 acres, they wanted to exchange the island for 113 acres of land adjacent to their 105 acre farm, which is prime bottom land, the Corps refused the offer, explaining that the exchange would shortchange the taxpayers. The short change comes under equal compensation. There is one other small problem with the Colfs'offer, some of the land that the Colf's want does not belong o the Corps, but does belong to the Ports of Longview, Kalama, Woodland and Vancouver, which all the ports are working on the deepening project. The exchange could happen if these parties would agree to the exchange.
The Corps still maintains that if any change in the project would cause delays and drastically affect the completion date. I believe that the Corps could easily do the exchange with out prolonging the depletion date for the project. I believe that the Corps wants to throw their weight around, caring less about other peoples property rights.
The American Land Rights Association heard about the Colf's problem and jumped on board to try and help, they are urging their members to write Congress and department officials to put pressure on the Corps to back off their plans of condemnation. They are also asking the Corps to seek other lands for the mitigation, the land group is reporting that the Colf's are being told to sell or else. The American Land Rights Association has successfully stopped many condemnations across America and is willingly to try and stop this one.
It is very interesting that so many people are threatened by their own government agencies in these issues regarding LNG proposals, pipelines, river deepening, to name a few on condemnation issues. I have often wondered how these agency people would react if it were their property that they were losing, how would a well off congressman feel if it was their family home being taken away? I bet that the rules would change and other land for mitigation would be found in a heartbeat. To bad the Colf's last name was not Bush, Smith, or Chaney, if it were, they would not be in this predicament.
I hope the Colfs prevail in their fight, after all, the taxpayers will benefit once the deepening project is done, the listed ports will have more business, and business's will have more and bigger ships to transport their goods around the world, so it is all about a little less money for the ports to begin with, if they give up a bit of their port property. After all they will gain that loss back many times fold if the project is finished in a timely manner, and the ships come for business. I guess it all depends on whether the project is finished in a timely manner or not, it all lies on the shoulders of the four ports, which way the projects turns out.