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Author Archive | Michael Rikon

March 30, 2023

Opposition to the Summit Pipeline

In our last blog, “We Don’t Care What the Stinking Pipeline Carries,” March 21, 2023, we reported on the Summit Pipeline which would carry millions of tons of carbon dioxide from ethanol plants to be injected into underground rock formations.  The 2,000-mile pipeline would carry carbon dioxide across five states to underground storage in North Dakota. There has been a lot of opposition to the project from property owners and other groups.  Farmers have concerns about what the gas will do to the soil and water.  Another concern is that… read more

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Posted in Carbon Dioxide Pipeline, Condemnation, Summit Pipeline
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March 21, 2023

We Don’t Care What the Stinking Pipeline Carries.

Remember the Keystone XL pipeline?  Welcome to the Summit pipeline.  Instead of oil, the pipeline would carry millions of tons of carbon dioxide from ethanol plants to be injected into underground rock formations rather than dispersed as pollutants in the air.  The 2,000 mile pipeline would carry carbon dioxide across five states to underground storage in North Dakota.  If built, it would be the largest carbon dioxide pipeline in the world. The idea behind the Summit pipeline is to take carbon dioxide from ethanol plants, where it is a byproduct… read more

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Posted in Carbon Dioxide Pipeline, Condemnation, Environment, Pipelines
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March 16, 2023

Racial Bias in Valuation of Residential Homes

We previously wrote an article in the New York Law Journal, “Diversity is Needed to End Racial Bias in Home Appraisals,” NYLJ December 27, 2022. We stated, the answer to appraisal bias on racial grounds is to expand opportunities for Black real estate professionals.  In a statement issued on September 20, 2020, the Appraisal Institute, the largest professional association of real estate appraisers reiterated its efforts to expand opportunities for aspiring appraisers to help combat bias in valuation. Less than 2 percent of appraisers identify as Black.  The appraisal industry… read more

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Posted in Racial Bias, Valuation
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March 9, 2023

Harris Neck, Georgia – Time to Return the Land

Harris Neck is located along the coast in the northeast corner of McIntosh County, Georgia.  It was once home to a prosperous and self-reliant community of 75 African American families.  It has been described as a stunningly beautiful 2,687 acres of meadows, freshwater ponds and marsh.  From the end of the Civil War until 1942, the community lived harmoniously with each other and their natural environment. According to an article written by Scott Reid in Change.org, “The people lived off the land, creeks, rivers and ocean, and they took their… read more

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Posted in Condemnation, Due Process, Fair Market Value, Racial Prejudice
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March 7, 2023

The Legacy of San Juan Hill – Not Pretty!

The New York Times ran a story by James Barron on February 15, 2023, “Before Lincoln Center, San Juan Hill was a Vibrant Black Community.” The article focused on an established and vibrant neighborhood that was razed for Lincoln Center in Manhattan. Seven thousand families and 800 businesses were displaced by urban renewal. The name of the neighborhood was thought to have been a tribute to the Black cavalry unit that fought in the battle of San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War in 1898.  San Juan Hill was an… read more

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Posted in Blight, Condemnation, Racial Prejudice, Urban Renewal
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