St. Paul, MN – A recent ruling from a Scott County District Court Judge shows Minnesota landowners are benefiting from legislation authored by State Representative David Bly (DFL – Northfield) that strengthens the state’s ‘Buy the Farm’ law.
Cedar Summit Farm successfully forced a purchase of their land that sits in the path of the CapX2020 project, a high-voltage transmission line being built from South Dakota through Minnesota to boost the region’s power supply. The New Prague-area organic dairy farm’s owners, David and Florence Minar, had been working to protect their land from CapX2020 since the mid-2000s, but ultimately utilized Minnesota’s “Buy the Farm” law to seek recourse.
“Minnesota landowners deserve to be treated fairly when a project like CapX2020 threatens their livelihood,” said Bly. “I am pleased with the outcome of the Cedar Summit Farm lawsuit. It sets a precedent for other landowners facing similar economic uncertainty.”
Originally enacted in 1977, Minnesota’s “Buy the Farm” law allows the owner of real property that is “agricultural or nonagricultural homestead, nonhomestead agricultural land, rental residential property, and both commercial and noncommercial seasonal residential recreational property” to require a utility acquiring land for the route of a high-voltage transmission line to condemn and purchase any amount of land contiguous to the parcel needed for the project, up to and including the entire property.
Bly’s legislation strengthened the law by requiring utilities to pay relocation costs, reimburse landowners for attorney’s fees and appraisal fees, compensate landowners for the loss of an on-going business and to file challenges to a claim within 60 days to prevent stalling and establish a process for negotiating the claim.
Rep. Bly encourages his constituents to contact him with any questions about Minnesota’s “Buy the Farm” law. He can be reached by phone at (651) 296-0171, by email at rep.david.bly@house.mn or by postal mail at 559 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.