MO HB1277

Property owners facing condemnation for high-voltage transmission lines (200+ kilovolts) may require the utility to purchase a fee interest in contiguous, commercially viable land rather than just an easement, with the utility required to divest farmland at original acquisition price minus any diminution from the utility presence

Condemnors must pay treble damages plus reasonable attorney fees and expert costs when commissioners or a jury find the fair market value exceeds 120% of the condemnor's initial written offer

Landowners may propose alternative locations for condemned property on the same parcel, and condemning authorities must implement commercially feasible alternatives unless impossible to engineer, crossing protected lands/waterways, or costing more than twice the offered fair market value

Property owners may request an independent engineering firm review when the condemning authority rejects proposed alternate locations; if the authority is found to have acted in bad faith, it loses its right to condemn that owner's property

Removes the provision that a condemning authority's written statement of consideration was conclusive evidence of sufficient review of alternative locations