I read with interest on the newswires this morning that President Bush issued an executive order that limits the federal government from seizing private property via eminent domain. The order came on the anniversary of a controversial Supreme Court decision that upheld the use of eminent domain for private development.
A story about the order can be read on the Los Angeles Times here. Underneath all the bluster, the order doesn't mean much. It limits only the FEDERAL government from using eminent domain for private development. The order doesn't affect state and local governments. And the executive order doesn't prohibit the federal use of eminent domain for public projects, like hospitals or roads.
Considering that I can't even think of an instance in which the feds grabbed land for the use of a private developer, I'd say that the executive order is mostly noise and little substance.
And the bottom line: If the City of Albuquerque or other municipalities see the need to seize an endangered Route 66 property, like El Vado Motel, to keep it from being bulldozed, they can still do so.