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The rail network is a big part of the reason we're in this mess, though. The "checkerboard" system granted alternating squares of land to the railroad companie
by StrictDabbler 4y ago
The rail network is a big part of the reason we're in this mess, though.
The "checkerboard" system granted alternating squares of land to the railroad companies as an incentive to build out the network. The railroads sold those squares to various entities.
The result is that much of the public land in the Western United States is "corner-locked". There are two parcels, diagonally adjacent, but a new easement would be required to cross between them.
Even if you could get the corner easement you'd be running lines that zig-zag all over the place, so now the private owner can extract whatever the savings are for a straight line.
https://www.onxmaps.com/onx-access-initiatives/corner-crossing-report https://www.onxmaps.com/onx-access-initiatives/corner-crossi...
- justrealist 4y agoThis seems like a completely unrelated implementation detail.
- mywittyname 4y agoSeriously. The government could have just leased rights to the land for 100 years to the railroad companies.
- justrealist 4y agoWe don't need to go full PRC, we can just make land grants that make geometric sense.
- mywittyname 4y agoIf the concern is getting multiple companies to cooperate and preventing them from accumulating too much land/power, leases are a good solution. Land leases are not bad things just because the PRC happens to use them. The USG leases a crapload of land to companies for various profitable enterprises. It's a tool in the toolbox.
- justrealist 4y ago[flagged]