So say George Mason’s Ilya Somin and Case Western Reserve’s Jonathan Adler. From the abstract of their article, “The Green Costs of Kelo: Economic Development Takings and Environmental Protection”:
Allowing the use of eminent domain for economic development poses a particular threat to private conservation lands and open space. Because land owned by conservation nonprofits produces few economic benefits and does not contribute to tax revenue, it is likely to be targeted by developers and local governments that use eminent domain to advance their development interests. Economic development takings can also damage the environment by promoting environmentally harmful development, undermining property rights, and furthering dubious development plans that sap community wealth and reduce resources available for environmental protection. In many situations, economic development takings end up giving us the worst of both worlds: they cause environmental harm and reduce economic growth by transferring land to inefficient development projects.
(Hat tip: The Volokh Conspiracy)
