The Sacketts purchased some land near Priest Lake, Idaho, to build a family home. As the Sacketts began preparing the property for construction, the EPA claimed their land contained wetlands qualifying as navigable waters under federal jurisdiction according to the CWA, and the moving of soil would pollute those waters.
In reality, the Sackett property is simply located across the road from an irrigation ditch. Nevertheless, the EPA demanded the Sacketts restore their property to its original state, or be fined $40,000 per day until they complied with the federal agency’s egregious demands.
Unfortunately, this is only one example in a long list of EPA’s arbitrary, and often overtly malicious, abuse of power regarding the Clean Water Act over the years. The Sackett ruling is a major triumph for property rights and for our nation’s food security. This decision has effectively ended what Sackett Attorney, Charles Yates of the Pacific Legal Foundation,
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