Posted, Compiled and Edited by TLB Staff
According to EFT News
It might have lacked the drama of the Bundy ranch standoff in Nevada two years ago, and the bloodshed of a related militia occupation in Oregon last year, but a court settlement […] was a smashing victory for a Wyoming man fighting an ever more intrusive federal government.
And while the settlement won’t create a legal precedent, it’s a property rights victory for Americans throughout the country — a victory won by a young rancher and the Constitution-protecting legal team that stood with him.
The case that drew the attention of national news outlets pitted rancher Andy Johnson against the Obama administration’s Environmental Protection Agency and its overzealous agents who tried to fine Johnson millions of dollars for a pond he created on his own land, at his own expense, in Fort Bridge, Wyoming.
The battle started two years ago, when Johnson obtained a state permit to dam a small creek running through his 8-acre property, according to The New York Times. The pond that was created was not only a benefit to the Johnson’s ranch, to be used for watering his horses and cattle, it also became an attraction to wildlife. [Pictured is Andy Johnson and his daughter Aspen, 6, fishing at the pond he created on his property in Fort Bridger, Wyo. Credit Kim Raff for NY Times]
But the federal government decided Johnson hadn’t gotten the EPA’s approval for the project and was violating the Clean Water Act. It ordered him to dismantle the pond — on pain of fines reaching a ludicrous, business-killing $37,500 a day.”
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With fines adding up to over $16 million, enter the Pacific Legal Foundation seeking to vindicate Johnson’s property rights with a lawsuit against the EPA. After two years of legal wrangling there is the sweet taste of victory to report.
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