The Georgia Public Service Commission on Wednesday ruled in favor of the Sandersville Railroad Company to move forward with its plan to build a 4.5-mile rail spur in Hancock County, linking a quarry and string of other developments to an existing CSX rail line.
The ruling comes on the heels of an April recommendation by a PSC Hearing Officer that the process of eminent domain be allowed to begin on several 200-foot-wide strips of property along the proposed rail line. Some local landowners, backed by billionaire-led legal advocacy organizations like the Institute for Justice and the Southern Poverty Law Center, were unwilling to negotiate the sale of their property, forcing state officials to weigh in on the decision.
Sandersville representatives argued that eminent domain – in this case the power of a state-chartered to take private property for public use, with just compensation to the owner – was justified to move forward with one of the largest economic development projects in county history. The PSC commissioners unanimously agreed, voting 5-0 to support the April decision and allow the project, dubbed the Hanson Spur, to move ahead.
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