Currently there are two pipelines that are
being proposed to come through southwest
Virginia, including the counties of Patrick and
Henry. There are many in the area who
oppose these pipelines and the ability of the
government to loosely define what is a public
good. These people believe the pipelines
are not a public good but simply a way for two
large corporations to get larger. That
being said, they do not want the pipeline to come
through their land by force, something that can
happen if the government claims eminent domain
for their property. The issue carries with it
many other areas that can be debated, including
property rights and what can be called a public
good. This page is an attempt to bring into the
debate libertarian perspectives on these various
issues as well as to allow your input on the
matter.
The
Libertarian Perspective
To give some insite into what the libertarian
perspective would be for this particular issue,
the discussion is broken down four ways so that
the topic can be discussed from different angles.
It is hoped that this section can shed light on
the libertarian positions on these four aspects
of political thought as well as where a
libertarian might stand with regard to the
overall issue. Links are provided so that you can
learn more about where the Libertarian Party
stands on each individual issue.
The Free Market. Libertarians
believe very strongly in the free market and the
ability of inviduals, as well as private
companies, to gain greater wealth for themselves
without too much government control. It is
believed that when people work voluntarily and
cooperate with each other they are more
prosperous and peaceful than when they are
subject to government controls. Often in
contemporary politics, the state of the economy
is attributed to the work of the public officials
in office. What is true about prosperity,
however, is that it is the result of people
working freely together to gain greater wealth
and not the result of government
intervention. With this realization, libertarians
support ideas that allow the markets more freedom
from the restrictions of government because a
market that works unrestricted is a market that
is more prosperous. As for the issue of the
pipelines, the libertarian position would have to
consider the right of the companies involved to
build structures using their own property in
order to gain greater wealth. Follow this link to
learn more about libertarian positions on the
free market at Free-Market.Net
and CATO Institute Center for Trade Policy
Studies.
The Public Good. Another
issue that could be discussed here is what
government can consider a "public
good." A public good is, by definition,
something used, and in some sense owned, by the
public and not just a single person or group of
people. Often, things like road signs, roads
themselves, and waterways are considered to be
public goods because everyone can use them and
they are not, at least not usually, owned by a
single person or group. Maintaining what is
considered a public is usually left up to
government, so the issue is one of importance
when discussing political philosophies.
There are actually two schools of thought
within libertarianism about what should be
considered a public good. The strictest of
libertarians might argue that nothing, except
maybe the air we breathe, is really a
"public good" and that people serving
their private interests will end up serving the
public good "as if by an invisible
hand," as put by Adam Smith. Some others
might argue that some things, like roads and
such, are public goods and government does have a
role in maintaining them. Where both groups would
agree is that we must not be quick in labeling
something as a "public good." Many
things, including some things which are currently
labled as public goods, are often run better when
left in the private sector. It would seem that
profit making endeavors of private companies are
usually not to be considered public
goods from the libertarian point of view. For
more information on this issue, and others of
importance to libertarians, check out the book What
It Means To Be a Libertarian: A Personal
Interpretation by Charles Murray.
Environmental Concerns. The
environment is something of importance to all of
us and ensuring its protection is often
considered essential to our survival.
Libertarians share this point of view and do
believe the environment is something that should
be protected. Where libertarians may differ from
other "environmentalists" is in their
faith in a free market where private land owners
protect the environment of their own land because
it is in their best interests. Because of this
faith in the free market to produce a system
where individuals, and not the government,
protect the interests of the environment,
libertarians are sometimes considered "free
market environmentalists." Many who oppose
the construction of the pipelines in our area
point to environmental concerns as a reason to
oppose them, and in doing so they bring to the
table many good points. From the libertarian
perspective, however, these environmental
concerns should take care of themselves through
the free market. If Dominion, or Duke Power, does
not take the necessary precautions in
constructing their pipelines and a disaster does
happen, it is the company that would loose the
most in that they would have to clean up the mess
and business may slow down due to the fact that
customers would frown on such poor management.
For these reasons, it is in the best interests of
the company to maintain a clean and healthy
environment around their endeavors. For more
information follow this link on Environmentalism.
Property Rights/Eminent Domain.
Probably the most controversial aspect of the
pipeline issue, as well as others where private
property is used for public projects, is what is
known as eminent domain. Eminent domain is the
power of the government to take private property
for public use without the consent of
the owner. The government can't just take
property and leave, however, due to the 5th
Amendment to the Constitution where it states
"...nor shall private property be taken for
public use, without just compensation." Due
to this clause, government does have the right to
take private property for public use but is
required to compensate the owner for such
takings. The issue of eminent domain is one that
is closely related to the idea of a "public
good" in that there is a question as to what
can be considered to be for public use. The
Libertarian Party believes very strongly in the
right of the people to own property and because
of this belief eminent domain is something that
has to be carefully determined. In general, there
is very little, according to libertarian
philosophy, that can be considered for the public
use since libertarians believe that most things
should be left in the hands of the private sector
anyway. As for the case of the pipeline, it would
seem that eminent domain should not be claimed
since it is questionable whether or not the
endeavors of a private company should be
considered for a public use. If the companies
involved can find a way to build their pipelines
without claiming eminent domain, then they should
be allowed, otherwise they should probably look
for other plans. Learn more about the libertarian
perspective on property rights at Property
Rights.
The issue of the pipelines is not one that is
clear and we have to be careful about how to
approach it. The Libertarian Party believes in
the ability of people, and companies, to fairly
increase their earnings and compete on the open
market. At the same time, the property rights of
the people whose land would be affected should be
protected. With these two positions in mind, the
libertarian position would be to allow a
pipeline, or any other structure, to be built only
as long as the affected property owners are
fairly compensated. If the property owners are
found to be against the construction of the
pipeline on their land, then the pipeline should
not be allowed constructed on their land and the
company will have to consider other plans.
How do you
feel about the pipeline issue?
What do you think? Should the pipelines
be considered a public good creating the
situation where many land owners are forced to
give up their land for construction of the
pipelines? Vote below:
The Blue
Ridge Coalition
This section is included
so that the reader, if they so choose, can have
the opportunity to participate in what will
happen with regard to the two pipelines. The
following comes from a group called The Blue
Ridge Coalition, set up to bring together
affected property owners in opposition to the
pipelines.
The Blue Ridge Coalition
is a non-profit group that has been formed for
the soul purpose of fighting the two pipelines
that are proposed to come through the counties of
Patrick and Henry. The pipelines are being
proposed by Duke Energy and Dominion
Transmission. The purpose of the Duke
Energy pipeline is to serve as a transport for
fuel to be used in a future power plant.
Duke Energy/East Tennessee Natural Gas has
applied for a permit to install this gas
line. Their docket number is
CP01-415. The second pipeline, for Dominion
Transmission, would be built for the transport of
natural gas from Charleston, West Virginia to
Rockingham County, North Carolina. The
pipeline would run through southwest Virginia,
making use of private property as well as park
land, yet it will provide no service for the
people in the area. Dominion plans on using
the land of Virginians only to transport their
product more easily. The only obvious
beneficiary of the Dominion pipeline would be
Dominion.
Although these two companies will claim that
the pipelines are necessary for the public good,
the coalition believes they are simply ways for
them to cut costs. A public good, by
definition, is something that benefits everyone
and not just a few. Although the Dominion
pipeline may provide some benefit to a few people
in North Carolina, it will in no way benefit
everyone and is therefore not a public
good. The reason for this argument is that
Duke and Dominion must show that their proposed
pipelines are for the public good in order for
the government to allow them to come
through. If they do, they will be able to
claim the private property of many Virginians for
the construction of the pipelines. Once
constructed, the property owner cannot use the
land within 50 feet of the pipeline but must pay
taxes on the property as if it were still usable.
Currently, Duke and Dominion are each working
to give easements to the property owners whose
land will be affected by the pipelines. If
the property owners agree, they will be paid some
amount for the use of their land. If,
however, they don't agree to allow the pipelines
through their land, Duke or Dominion, depending
on which pipeline is involved, will seek eminent
domain on the land. Eminent domain is
claimed when the government considers something a
public good and it gives the company the right to
build that public good along with some sort of
payment to the property owner for use of the
land. If eminent domain is claimed, the
pipelines will come through regardless of the
property owners' desire to keep it off their
land.
The Blue Ridge Coalition wants to prevent this
situation from happening by getting a majority of
the affected property owners to say no to the
pipeline. If enough people fight it, there
is a chance that it will not come through.
The coalition needs your help. You can send
donations to the address below and contact
coalition members by the numbers provided.
Blue Ridge Coalition
P.O. Box 391
Stuart, VA 24171
Ellen Fulcher: 694-7004;
694-6421
Ron Meadows: 694-4411
Also, please write the Federal Government
about your opposition to the pipelines and
include the docket number above as
reference. They can be reached at the
following.
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
Office of the Secretary
888 First St., NE
Washington, DC 20426
You can learn more about
where the party stands on the issues at our
national headquarters web site, www.lp.org , or the state website LPVA.com .
