Infrastructure Junkies! Exploring Eminent Domain, Right of Way, and Infrastructure Development (formerly The Pendulum Land Podcast)

Christina Thoreson, Anthony Alderman and Ross Greene return to Infrastructure Junkies for more!  Will eminent domain and right of way appraisers be replaced by artificial intelligence ( "AI" )?  Can AI supplement or improve appraisal methodology?  Wouldn't the use of AI remove inherent human bias in testimony?  The group also discusses the sales comparison approach in appraisal and how it too can be manipulated, manipulation of hig...

Infrastructure Junkies invited two of their favorite real estate appraisers, Christina Thoreson and Anthony Alderman, to discuss a variety of hot appraisal topics encountered in right of way acquisitions and eminent domain cases.  Attorney Ross Greene (Mr. "chicken sacrificing voodoo" himself) infuses the conversation with more than his fair share of cynical color commentary.  Easements - types and effects on value.  Is there reall...

Shant Boyajian of Nossaman, LLP joins the Infrastructure Junkies to update listeners on the progress of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.  Has this funding caused the dramatic boom in the right of way industry as predicted?  What projects are being funded and how?  Have there been any surprises?  Is this just the beginning or is the money running out? And what's next for the right of way industry?  Listen in for answers t...

Eminent domain can seem oppressive and unfair.  The American system of compulsory acquisition features constitutional restrictions and obligations, as well as numerous duties imposed on condemning authorities and rights conferred upon impacted landowners.  Our right of way acquisition process has come a long way, yet imperfections persist.  Do we have the best system in the world? Is it fair enough? Are there loopholes that still n...

Renowned Author Howard Mansfield returns to Infrastructure Junkies to discuss two more chapters of his book, The Habit of Turning the World Upside Down.  In this Season 4 finale, Howard tackles "The Last Medieval Claim" by recounting some of the earliest battles for American soil which occurred in the courts across the ocean, and involved people who never set foot in North America.

Then the conversation turns to "The Pipeline in th...

Dominion Energy Senior Counsel Karla Carter joins Infrastructure Junkies to discuss the complicated history of heirs property issues.  What exactly is "heirs property"? What are the effects--both intended and unintended--on certain segments of the American population?  What are our obligations to heirs property in the right of way context?  

When condemning agencies encounter parcels of property which were inherited by its currents...

Southeastern Virginia is comprised of seven cities, each of which is waterfront, and many of which are separated by large bodies of water.  The Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel was constructed in the mid 1950's to connect Norfolk and Virginia Beach with Newport News and Hampton without obstructing marine traffic.  The Virginia Department of Transportation launched one of the largest infrastructure projects in North America to expand the...

A controversial and sometimes shady right of way project may be single-handedly responsible for the City of Los Angeles as we know it, and all that it represents.  The Los Angeles Aqueduct, the brain child of William Mulholland and Fred Eaton, miraculously transformed a sleepy oil town into a world famous metropolis.  Armchair Engineer Adam Ratliff (TikTok: @armchairengineer) joins Infrastructure Junkies to explain the genesis of t...

Waterfront property lawyer Bryan Peeples joins the Infrastructure Junkies to discuss exclusive rights enjoyed by waterfront property owners -- better known as "riparian property rights".  Bryan explains that riparian rights are valuable real property rights which, in most cases, cannot be taken without just compensation.  Bryan defines each of the five riparian rights and explains how to exercise them. Bryan also explains some key ...

Renowned author Howard Mansfield returns to Infrastructure Junkies to discuss two more chapters of his fabulous book, The Habit of Turning the World Upside Down. Listeners met Howard in the kickoff episode of Season 4 when he brought us tales of attempts to drain the Great Dismal Swamp and the Ballad of Romaine Tenney.  This time Howard discusses "The Land of Many Uses"--our national forests.  From the mass destruction of old growt...

In this 5th installment of the Infrastructure Junkies Roundtable series, your hosts invite some young(er) right of way professionals to share what's on their mind in this popular format. You know the routine...everyone brings one topic in right of way, and one in pop culture and the group discusses.  Listen in to some outstanding insight about the winding road to the right of way industry, YouTube stardom via the Terrell Show and a...

Infrastructure Junkies host TikTok sensation and co-influencer, the Armchair Engineer to lead them through an examination of what is perhaps America's greatest infrastructure marvel of all time, the Hoover Dam.  Listen in to learn about the taming of the wild and wonderous Colorado River and political jockeying for water allocation among the seven states which border that tributary. How was that dam conceived? How was such an incre...

It's difficult to imagine that just a century ago, airplane contrails were never seen in the sky.  There was no airline industry to speak of.  In 1900, airplanes did not even exist.  Now we live in a world that relies on safe and reliable air travel.

What was the genesis of our massive airline infrastructure?  Professor Greg Jackson from the "History That Doesn't Suck" podcast joins Infrastructure Junkies to tell the story of Wilbu...

Environmental attorney Jim Lang joins the Infrastructure Junkies to educate us on wetlands and their effects on a right of way project, infrastructure development or property acquired by eminent domain.  How do you define wetlands, and what the heck are they?   How are wetlands identified?  Why are wetlands important?  How are wetlands regulated? And what penalties will I face if I ignore or disturb wetlands?  If an agency or proje...

One year after last season's blockbuster episode about the challenges of the oil & gas and pipeline industries, renowned energy lawyer Tom Forestier returns to Infrastructure Junkies to update us on the current prospects of that industry.  Just as it wasn't over "when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor", rumors of the demise of the oil and gas industry were greatly exaggerated.  Exports of hydrocarbons are up and oil companies are rec...

New Jersey's Owner's Counsel of America representative, Tony DellaPelle, re-joins Infrastructure Junkies! to discuss his front line experience on a  serious issue that is not going away for coastal communities and residents--storm damage.  Tony describes the unexpected devastation of Hurricane Sandy to the Jersey Shore back in 2012, and the reactions of residents and politicians alike.  After the storm, Governor Chris Christie led ...

The Infrastructure Junkies team up with Clint Schumacher of the Eminent Domain Podcast to bring you a very special joint episode with a superstar guest.  Two term Mayor of Austin, Texas, Steve Adler, joins your three hosts to discuss his time as Mayor of one of America's most vibrant and progressive cities.  What was it like to lead the charge on huge infrastructure packages to benefit citizens long before the federal government pa...