— Sen. Rand Paul said at a town hall meeting Friday that as president he would never let the government “take away private property and give it to somebody else” through eminent domain.

“One of the worst powers, one of the most egregious powers you can give a government is the power to take your property,” he said. “And we have a government that’s grown too large in this sense.”

Paul said while he supported the Keystone XL pipeline, he said he voted against a bill that would allow the use of eminent domain to gain easements.

In Iowa, the Bakken pipeline would run through Oskaloosa in Mahaska County if the Iowa Utilities Board approves the $3.8 million project. Opponents worry about reduced crop yields with a pipeline underneath their land, and some farmers fear eminent domain will be used to gain easements for the crude oil route.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to use eminent domain for private enterprises,” Paul said. “Here in Iowa, (the Bakken pipeline) would have to go through a utility commission, but if I were on the utility commission I would vote that it doesn’t sound like it’s a utility to me, it sounds like it’s a private enterprise.”

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