Eminent Domain in New Mexico — Looks Like Good News

According the the Albuquerque Journal this morning Governor Richardson is proposing to “ensure that government cannot take private property for economic development.”

Richardson’s proposal, which incorporates recommendations from a governor-appointed task force, would repeal the state’s Urban Renewal and Community Development laws.
It also would remove eminent domain power from the Metropolitan Redevelopment Act, a comprehensive economic development statute, said Richardson’s Deputy Chief Counsel Vincent Ward.
The proposal will not limit governments’ traditional use of eminent domain to condemn property for the public use, such as widening roads or to build schools, Ward said. But it would bar the taking of private property for economic development. Many viewed last year’s ruling by the nation’s top court as creating an additional use for eminent domain.

Thanks to Paul and the Institute for Justice for their effective work on the eminent domain issue.