Eminent Domain Government Business Individuals Property Lay Town

"Eminent domain" describes the government's ability to "seize" (take without permission) "property" (land or buildings) that were owned by individuals without their "consent" (agreement). The individuals receive "monetary compensation" (a payment of money) and the property is then used for some "public good" (something that benefits society). In most cases, the government must try to "purchase" (buy) the property before "invoking" (using or applying a law) eminent domain.

Normally eminent domain "comes into play" (is used) for public development projects. For example, a railroad company might need access to land to lay down straight "tracks" (the long pieces of metal a train travels on top of). It would be expensive and inefficient for the companies to lay tracks around the private property, so if the owner does not want to sell, the government can "intervene" (become involved) and "invoke" eminent domain.

Sometimes the government invokes eminent domain to protect the safety of "citizens" (the people belonging to a particular country), as it did in the City of Centralia, Pennsylvania. Today, Centralia is a "ghost town" (a town with few or no residents), but it used to be a town with more than 2,000 residents and a lot of "coal" (a black rock that is burned to create energy) "mining" (the removal of valuable minerals or stones from underground) activity. A very hot fire began burning through the mines throughout the 1960s and 1970s, creating a lot of "poisonous" (dangerous and/or deadly) gases and dangerous "sinkholes" (holes in the earth made when the rocks underneath "dissolve" (become liquid)).

In 1984, the U.S. government paid more than $42 million to purchase properties and "relocate" (move to a different place) the families of Centralia. In 1992, the State of Pennsylvania invoked eminent domain and "condemned" (said a building was not safe) the buildings.