Governors' Wind Energy Coalition Eminent domain opens doors for fossil fuels — could it do the same for renewable energy? Source: By Ysabelle Kempe, Grist • Posted: Tuesday, April 27, 2021 Environmentalists have long opposed eminent domain for fossil fuel projects. Now, the legal power could be vital to building renewable energy infrastructure. For renewable energy to power the United States, the country will need ambitious politicians, public buy-in, and billions of dollars in investment. But there’s a slightly less flashy tool that will also play a key role in the renewable energy transition: eminent domain law. Eminent domain is the government’s power to seize private property for public use (with fair payment). It’s controversial — many Americans staunchly defend their private property rights — but the truth is that eminent domain has shaped the U.S. into the country we know today. From highways to national parks to public buildings such as courthouses, there is infrastructure in every corner of the country that would not have been built without the use of this legal power.