PLF asks the Supreme Court
to rule that EPA isn't above the law! |
3/9/11 Pacific Legal Foundation
PLF exists to fight for
people who are abused by oppressive bureaucracies.
Thanks to donations from supporters like you, we never
charge our clients! Our attorneys fight for people who
can't otherwise defend themselves against the
governments' armies of attorneys.
Mike and
Chantell Sackett, of Priest Lake, Idaho, fit this
category.
The Sacketts own a half-acre parcel in a residentially
zoned area. All they wanted was to build a house on
it. They went through all the due diligence before
buying the land, which is surrounded by houses. So they
had every reason to believe they could build their dream
home, and they laid gravel to get started.
But then, out of the blue, EPA showed up and told them
it considers their parcel to be "wetlands," and that the
federal government - not the Sacketts - controls the
property! (Except
the Sacketts have to continue paying taxes on it!)
The Sacketts want their
day in court
Representing the Sacketts, PLF has just petitioned the
U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case and rule that they
have a right to their day in court. They believe EPA is
wrong about their land being "wetlands" - and they are
asking for court review of the agency's order.
Watch the Sacketts explain how the EPA has bullied them:
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The Sackett video has received over 16,000
views on YouTube.
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Not only has EPA told the
Sacketts they can't build a house on their own property,
it ordered them to restore the land to EPA's liking -
or face tens of
thousands of dollars per day in fines!
Even in the face of these ruinous threats, the
Ninth Circuit
ruled that the Sacketts couldn't directly challenge
EPA's power play in court. They'd first have to
go through a long and likely futile land use permitting
process - a process that could cost them $200,000!
This is why PLF has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take
their case. The Sacketts -- and all property owners
blindsided by the EPA -- have a due process right to
challenge the agency's actions in court.
In short, we're asking the Supreme Court to affirm: the
EPA is not above the law!
Help PLF fight EPA
abuse of property owners nationwide
Mike and Chantell Sackett are far from alone in being
targeted for EPA "compliance orders," issued with no
hearings or notice. The agency issues up to 3,000 of
these arbitrary edicts against property owners each
year.
PLF is asking the Supreme Court to affirm that these
orders can be reviewed by the courts. Basic
constitutional rights are at stake!
EPA
and other bureaucracies must not be allowed to be laws
unto themselves. Help us defend their victims, and the
rule of law. Your generous
donation allows our attorneys to "rescue liberty" -
for this generation, and those to come.
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