Groom Mine Family Getting Forced Out?

a reply to: stratsys-sws

Congress already approved the condemnation, so all that is left is legal action over the value of the land. Extracting minerals isn't exactly free, so the USAF has lots of wiggle room to make the land look less valuable. Given all the nearby mines have failed, there are no valuable "comps" to boost the price, not to mention the commodities market is depressed.

Go back and review the medical lawsuits at Groom Lake. Those people had none other than Jonathan Turley as their lawyer,and the government still won.

a reply to: gariac

Can you or anyone else confirm what type of mine this is ? ie, drift or are there shafts ??
could it poss be that they want that particular piece of land so they can utilise the mine itself ??
has been known in the past ;-)

snoopyuk

Id be so pissed off with the government by now out of sheer spite id sell the land to chinese or iranian company for #s and giggles and ruin the AF fun there for good

a reply to: crazyewok

Good luck getting title insurance on that property. Without a clear title, the property isn't going anywhere.

This is the first reference I have seen to what dollar figure they expect, other than saying they are "willing to negotiate".

"The family has said the offer should be closer to $29m"
news.sky.com...

originally posted by: snoopyuk
a reply to: gariac

Can you or anyone else confirm what type of mine this is ? ie, drift or are there shafts ??
could it poss be that they want that particular piece of land so they can utilise the mine itself ??
has been known in the past ;-)
snoopyuk

The pictures I have seen on the web, mainly on the Groom Mine Facebook page, show at least one drift mine.

From what I can tell, the mining ended when the mill was "blown up". Which makes we wonder, if the mine was profitable, why it was never rebuilt.

a reply to: FosterVS

It had been my observation that every serious mine in the area has a paved road. (I'm not saying the road is much of a road today.) I can't say logically that implies an "if and only if" relationship. But if you can't haul ore for at least a third of the year, you have to wonder about the profitability of the mine.

I was amazed when they repaved part of the road to the old tungsten mine by Tempiute.

But as you point out, they didn't even bother to rebuild the mill, a key bit of infrastructure.

Doesn't the 3rd amendment forbid the military or giverment forcing someone out there homes for a military base?

a reply to: crazyewok

No.

www.law.cornell.edu...

The fifth is the appropriate one and that's only for just compensation.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: crazyewok

No.

www.law.cornell.edu...

The fifth is the appropriate one and that's only for just compensation.

Doesn't seem right for the goverment to seize land...... Not right at all.......

daft idea time but if the family are of good standing how about the defence department
or whoever actually runs the site employ them a site like that must have several hundred
workers there who are not actually scientists or engineers in sure there must be
a use the base can find for trainable people who "almost" actually live on the site
as they know the local terrain very well how about they make them part of the
site security or some other support role make them sign the waivers grant them the clearance
let them live in their house problem solved

a reply to: FosterVS
Lets see the government wants them out for national security reasons. At one time the government denied the existence of area 51. What's wrong with this picture? If owners take them to court would the governments case be based on a lie? My brain hurts.

a reply to: crazyewok

Eminent domain happens all the time. Once in a while you find some nut that didn't take the money and ends up with a highway in their front yard.
www.slate.com...

originally posted by: gariac
a reply to: crazyewok

Eminent domain happens all the time. Once in a while you find some nut that didn't take the money and ends up with a highway in their front yard.
www.slate.com...

And i vehemently disagree with the principal of eminate domain.

Sorry but cheering on Area 51 is to be sick.

Especially when your climbing up on to mountains takeing photos.

If you can do that a family that has owned the land before the base was ever there ,and obviously havent been that much trouble seeing as there have been decades of R&D going on around them, should be allowed to stay on THERE LAND. Make them sign a NDA or something.

a reply to: crazyewok

I'll let you in on a secret: nobody gets to vote on eminent domain, well except for the Supreme Court.

en.m.wikipedia.org...

originally posted by: gariac
a reply to: crazyewok

I'll let you in on a secret: nobody gets to vote on eminent domain, well except for the Supreme Court.

en.m.wikipedia.org...

Yes I know that, so dont patronise me.

Thats not the point.

I oppose it on principal.

Thev act your cheering over a family land being taken by force when there are cleary doing no harm and the base cleary is capable of operating with them around is still to me disturbing!

The US government has enough land without stealing more from private citizens!

a reply to: crazyewok

Um no, the USAF doesn't have enough land. They need to control this piece of land that has a view of the base, plus could be on the receiving end of an out of control aircraft.

The deal here is where do you draw the line. Freedom Ridge and White Sides was taken by the base, and they have less of a view that you would get from the Groom mine.

I'm not cheering them on. There is always the chance the USAF will take Tikaboo. They have a camera on the peak that they can use to document observers and their gear.

But given the location of Groom Mine, this is a no brainer. The family already had the USAF willing to pay double what the mine was worth. Take the money and run.

a reply to: crazyewok

It happens all the time in the UK for things much less mundane that a National Security threat.

Ive done compulsory land purchases and as a landowner you dont get to write yourself a golden cheque. In fact, you dont even get much in the way of compensation at all.

$5.2m - should have taken it and the chance to set the family up somewhere else and started a new chapter in their family history.

This is just greed IMO and I hope the greedy people lost.

a reply to: Forensick

I know that unfortunately from personal experience of a freind here.....

It why im extremely anti eminent domain.

Some time land is more to a person than just money.

a reply to: FosterVS

You can't fight the government when they really want something and can claim they need it for national security. They print the money and hand out the badges.