Liberty Matters News Service 

August 8, 2000

"My gosh, to listen to Mr. Gore talk about Texas and the bad water and the foul air and this cruddy environment, you’d think Texas is one of his rental properties."

Texas Lt. Gov. Rick Perry

On July 25th, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed CARA by a vote of 13-7 with all nine Democrats and three Republicans joining Murkowski. The Senate version completely eliminated any so-called protections for the "Willing Seller" aspect of the bill by saying that funds available for federal land acquisition shall not be used to acquire property unless (a) "the owner of the property is willing to sell; OR (b) the acquisition is authorized by law and is conducted in accordance therewith." In other words, if a landowner is not willing to sell, the federal or state agency can condemn the property without permission from Congress. It has been reported that Murkowski has requested Senate leadership (Trent Lott) to bring the bill up on the floor of the Senate in early September. Every effort should be made to speak directly to each of your senators while in their district offices in August. If passed, CARA will violate Congress’ own 2001 budget resolution because it was not a part of the budget they agreed to in April. The CARA trust fund would reduce the on-budget surplus and gain a higher funding priority than education and defense. CARA also contains dozens of provisions that override both state sovereignty and private property rights by taking flexibility away as to how to spend the funds and giving the Secretary of Interior extremely broad authority to approve or disapprove how funds are used under CARA. Call your senator’s district offices. CARA must be stopped.
Faxback doc. 2169.

US District Court Judge Nathaniel Gorton ordered the EPA to pay $68,726 to Riverdale Mills for manufacturing a case against the company. The EPA indicted mill owner James Knott for violations under the Clean Water Act claiming he discharged wastewater above the legal limits. Knott faced up to $1.5 million in fines and a term of six years in jail. But when prosecutors learned the EPA had withheld and changed the data of tests that showed the mill’s wastewater was within legal limits, they dropped the charges. Knott filed his own case using the Hyde’s Amendment, a three year old law that allows an exonerated defendant to seek legal fees from the government if the criminal prosecution was "frivolous, in bad faith or vexatious." The court condemned the actions of the EPA and stated: "The court is also troubled by the government’s unnecessary harassment of defendants and their employees. … A virtual SWAT team consisting of 21 EPA law enforcement officers and agents, many of whom were armed stormed the facility to conduct pH samplings. They vigorously interrogated and videotaped employees, causing them great distress." The court found the EPA’s actions were "clearly vexatious." Boston Globe, Faxback doc. 2170

Greenpeace Withers on the Vine

Greenpeace, one of the world’s most destructive eco-terror groups, is losing its grip. Thilo Bode, executive director of Greenpeace International, has resigned, followed by the entire board of Greenpeace, US. Worldwide membership has plummeted by more than 1.6 million members with a corresponding loss of around $66 million. The organization is coming under attack from one of its founders, Dr. Patrick Moore, who recently debunked the Greenpeace claim that the rainforests are rapidly disappearing. He blasted the group by saying: it is dominated "by leftwingers and extremists who disregard science in the pursuit of environmental purity." Couldn’t happen to a nicer group.
Britain Sunday Times, Faxback doc. 2171.

Starting August 28th, a convoy of American citizens will leave Elko, Nevada where the shovel brigade protested the closing of the Jarbridge road on July 4th, and travel to London, Ohio for a rally September 2nd. The rally is to protest the secretly planned condemnation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of over 53,000 acres of farmland in Ohio that would displace over 500 families. The convoy expects to be joined by property rights advocates along their eight state route. Organizers have announced Fox News correspondents are planning to cover the event. For more information contact Julie Smithson at jsmit10695@aol.com.
For convoy details, Faxback 2172.