A judge has ruled that a Georgia railroad can buy land against the will of property owners to build a track. The Tuesday ruling rejects a challenge that a libertarian group hoped could make it harder to use eminent domain to take property.
Georgia’s Public Service Commission heard the final oral arguments this week for and against allowing eminent domain to be used to build a new 4-mile rail spur through a majority Black community that opposes it.
A hearing has begun to help determine whether a Georgia railroad can legally condemn property to build a rail line. The Georgia Public Service Commission began hearing testimony on Monday.
Three Georgia counties will benefit from $3.2 million in federal grant funding to ease traffic flow by eliminating at-grade railroad crossings and studying construction alternatives.
Businesses are increasingly worried about the renewed threat of a railroad strike after two unions rejected their deals, and they want the White House and Congress to be ready to intervene.
Chase Highsmith alleges that CSX allowed trains to leave its Waycross hub with inoperable brakes, and that he was fired in part for reporting this to federal regulators.
Members of one union are rejecting a tentative deal with the largest U.S. freight railroads while three other unions remained at the bargaining table just days ahead of a national strike deadline. A strike, which could begin Friday, would intensify snarls in the nation's supply chain that have contributed to rising prices.
