property rights

Are Property Rights Now More Clearly Defined for Organic Farmers in Minnesota?

4 Comments / Economics, Environmental policy, Law / By

Michael Giberson The United States Supreme Court chose to let stand a Minnesota Supreme Court decision concerning the rights of organic farmers exposed to pesticide drift from neighboring conventional farms. In the case Johnson v. Paynesville Farmers Union Cooperative Oil Co., the organic-farming Johnsons had sued conventional-farming Paynesville for damages after pesticide drift from Paynesville’s farm …

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Minnesota Supreme Court Rules Pesticide Drift is Not a Trespass, but Might Be a Nuisance

3 Comments / Economics, Environmental policy, Law, Regulation / By

Michael Giberson The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled today that pesticide drifting across property lines onto an organic farmer’s crop does not constitute a trespass under state law. The court dismissed the trespass claim as well as accompanying claims asserting nuisance and negligence under laws that govern organic farming. The organic farming laws regulate what a …

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A Coasian Look at Pesticide and Genetic Drift

2 Comments / Economics, Environmental policy, Law, Regulation / By

Michael Giberson A few weeks back Lynne drew attention to an interesting property dispute between neighboring farmers in Minnesota, currently the subject of legal action (see news summary here, related court decision here). In brief, the issue is pesticide drift from conventionally farmed crops onto a neighboring organic farm, and whether the organic farm can …

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On the Obligations of Income-Earners and Property-Owners to Pay Taxes

2 Comments / Law, Liberty, Politics / By

Michael Giberson Perhaps you’ve seen the video of Elizabeth Warren, hoping to be elected to the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts, in which she declaims that since roads and police and fire protection are funded through taxes, people have no real claim to their income or wealth against a government that wants to take it. After …

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Montana-alberta Transmission Line Developer Wants Eminent Domain Power to Overcome Landowner’s Resistance

Electricity, Environmental policy, Law, Regulation / By

Michael Giberson The Montana-Alberta Tie Line, a transmission project linking Alberta and Western U.S. power markets, has stalled over the resistance of one landowner, who has claimed the proposed line would cross wetlands and native American heritage sites on her land. MATL tried exercising eminent domain last July to take the easement it wants, but …

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The Struggle to Protect Property Claims in Virtual Worlds

1 Comment / Economics, Technology / By

Michael Giberson The Los Angeles Times has the story: “A real-world battle over virtual-property rights.” Apparently virtual world developer/promoter/host Linden Labs has changed its terms of service for Second Life over time to diminish the central importance of user ownership of virtual property created within the Second Life service. The most recent user agreement reportedly …

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