Kurt Kielisch "Keystone, Kelo, and the Constitution"
Channel: Fox Valley Conservative Forum
Date: 2015-05-02

After years of political and legal wrangling, the controversy over the Keystone XL Pipeline has reached a crescendo. Already this month, both houses of Congress have passed approval bills, setting up a veto showdown with President Obama.

Republicans have championed Keystone under the familiar banner of jobs and economic development. Most Democrats have opposed it due to the usual concerns about the environment and “climate change.”

Setting aside the relative merits of these competing claims (and other concerns within the bills), some significant considerations have been curiously absent from public discussion:

What about property rights? A pipeline from Alberta to the Gulf Coast cuts thru a lot of private property.
What about the Constitution? What does the 5th Amendment mean by “public use” and “just compensation” when taking private property via eminent domain?
How does the infamous Kelo vs. New London court case relate? When property is seized for the benefit of private business, does it matter if the reason given is economic development versus energy infrastructure?
To help us answer these difficult questions, we are delighted to welcome forensic appraiser Kurt Kielisch to the Forum on Tuesday, February 3. Kurt has a wealth of training and practical experience in the area of eminent domain and property rights, as evidenced by his biographical sketch given below. Join us to learn the fundamental constitutional issues at stake in eminent domain takings and how these apply even to nearby cases such as ATC’s Baylake power transmission project.

Bio Sketch: Kurt Kielisch is founder and president of the Forensic Appraisal Group, Ltd, Neenah, a forensic appraisal firm specializing in eminent domain valuations of electric transmission line, gas and oil pipeline easement takings. He is a recognized expert witness in federal and state courts, having 31 years in the field and holds a Certified General Appraiser license in five states. Mr. Kielisch’s commitment to upholding the 5th Amendment’s protection of private property resulted in two landmark Wisconsin Supreme Court rulings (Waller v. ATC and Spieglberg v. WDOT). He is a practitioner, author, and teacher on the matters of property valuation.

http://www.fvcforum.com/event/kurt-kielisch-keystone-kelo-and-the-constitution/