A legal battle is brewing in Shelby County, Alabama, where property owner Fenn Church is fighting to stop Alabama Power from taking land on his property to build a major high-voltage transmission line. Church requested a preliminary injunction to halt the utility company from moving forward through eminent domain, arguing that the proposed 230-kilovolt power line and accompanying utility access roads cut directly through his private driveway and severe his personal privacy. During a court hearing, the Shelby County judge granted Church and his defense additional time to present their case and explain why Alabama Power should be temporarily restrained from proceeding with the construction.
The dispute highlights growing friction between public utility companies expanding energy infrastructure and private property owners protecting their land rights. Church and his legal team, along with prominent public advocates who have joined the cause, contend that Alabama Power failed to properly assess property devaluation and bypassed a nearby, already-cleared path that would avoid tearing through private residential property. The judge’s decision to extend the timeframe gives the landowner a crucial window to gather further evidence, report findings to regulatory authorities, and argue for alternative routing before permanent construction begins.
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