T. Boone Pickens, Scam Artist, Given Eminent Domain Authority in Texas

All-around jerk T. Boone Pickens has managed to swindle Texas into giving him eminent domain powers. The State Legislature changed State Law allowing two residents in Roberts County to vote and create a municipal water district, thereby giving them the power to confiscate private property. The two voters were Pickens’ wife and manager of his ranch.

Regardless of T. Boone Pickens, those responsible for this abomination in my State Legislature need to be held responsible for their probable criminal activity in working behind the backs of the People of the State of Texas to give eminent domain powers to a cheat and con-artist. Read below:

The more you learn about T. Boone Pickens’ plan to switch America to wind power, the more you realize that he seems willing to say and do just about anything to make another billion or two.

This column previously discussed the plan’s technical and economic shortcomings and marketing ruses. Today, we’ll look into the diabolical machinations behind it.
Simply put, Pickens’ pitch is “embrace wind power to help break our ‘addiction’ to foreign oil.” There is, however, another intriguing component to Pickens’ plan that goes unmentioned in his TV commercials, media interviews and web site — water rights, which he owns more of than any other American.
Pickens hopes that his recent $100 million investment in 200,000 acres worth of groundwater rights in Roberts County, Texas, located over the Ogallala Aquifer, will earn him $1 billion. But there’s more to earning such a profit than simply acquiring the water. Rights-of-way must be purchased to install pipelines, and opposition from anti-development environmental groups must be overcome. Here’s where it gets interesting, according to information compiled by the Water Research Group, a small grassroots group focusing on local water issues in Texas.
Purchasing rights-of-way is often expensive and time-consuming — and what if landowners won’t sell? While private entities may be frustrated, governments can exercise eminent domain to compel sales. This is Pickens’ route of choice. But wait, you say, Pickens is not a government entity. How can he use eminent domain? Are you sitting down?

At Pickens’ behest, the Texas legislature changed state law to allow the two residents of an 8-acre parcel of land in Roberts County to vote to create a municipal water district, a government agency with eminent domain powers. Who were the voters? They were Pickens’ wife and the manager of Pickens’ nearby ranch. And who sits on the board of directors of this water district? They are the parcel’s three other non-resident landowners, all Pickens’ employees.
A member of a local water conservation board told Bloomberg News that, “[Pickens has] obtained the right of eminent domain like he was a big city. It’s supposed to be for the public good, not a private company.”

This act on the part of Texas lawmakers is the very definition of an outrage! I want to know exactly how much money was paid by T. Boone Pickens to get this pushed through. I want to know who he paid. I want to know which State legislators voted for this. As a Citizen of the State of Texas I demand those involved in this activity resign from office. Those eminent domain laws, which are bad enough all by themselves, are meant for city and county government authority; not for T. Boone Pickens to use as he pleases.

The People of Texas will never agree to Pickens’ nonsense of an energy plan that is as empty as the air he pushes with those stupid windmills! We did not in any way authorize our State Representatives to commit such an abuse of power simply by voting them into office.

State Rep. Dan Patrick owns KSEV readio in Houston, who Pat Gray works for, so I would believe what Pat is saying here. I’m no expert on this, but the way I understand it, the Pickens part was buried in a bill at the last minute and most apparently didn’t know it was in there. The state legislature is only in session for a little while every other year (I don’t know exact details), so they go through a ton of bills each day. I wonder what else has been slipped in there without anyone knowing about it.

If I was the Gov, I would call a special session specifically to fix this. I would also make it very public who the slimebags were who put it in there.

Texas is in the process of cleaning out some fatcat Rinos from our state government. Dan is driving this effort.

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