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“Oregon Voters Approve Measure to Pay for Regulatory Takings” - By Carol W. LaGrasse (PRFA, November 2004) In a victory for private property rights, “takings” compensation received 60% of the vote in an Oregon referendum. The law, passed in a traditionally liberal state, could start a national movement. See also: Private Property Rights—National

Pres. Bush Executive Order for Cooperative Conservation - August 26, 2004 Pres. George W. Bush directed the Departments of Interior, Agriculture, Defense, and the Environmental Protection Agency to promote cooperative conservative conservation, emphasizing local participation. he directed agencies to take appropriate account of and respect the interests of persons with ownership or other legally recognized interests in land and natural resources. His directive requires an annual report on the implementation of the order by each agency to the President’s Council on Environmental Quality. It sets the stage for a White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation in one year. See also: Government Land Ownership & Control—National See also: Private Conservation—National

“State Highlands Bill Threatens Northern New Jersey Property Owners” The 100-page Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act (S.1, A. 2635) would establish a regional planning commission, the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council, to prepare a master regional land use plan, to be followed by “stringent” development regulations by the Department of Environmental Protection. See also: New Jersey State Index

Update June 4, 2003 “Bulletin: McGinty Confirmed to Head Pennsylvania DEP” In a victory for advocates of stronger central regulation of land use and industry, the State Senate confirmed Governor Rendell’s appointment of Clinton environmental bureaucrat Kathleen A. McGinty to head the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection on June 3, with a vote of 41 to 8, all “nay” votes cast by Republicans. See also: Pennsylvania State Index

Letter from Fred Grau, State College, Penna. to The Honorable Robert C. Jubelirer, Pennsylvania State Senate, May 31, 2003 Letter protesting possible confirmation of Kathleen McGinty by default, without a Senate vote, and urging that the McGinty confirmation be decided by a roll call vote of the Senate. See also: Pennsylvania State Index

“Rural Utahns Demand Public Hearings on Proposed Heritage Area” - Press release by Brad Van Dyke, Rural Utahns for Local Solutions, May 10, 2003 The U.S. Congress is considering designation of 300 miles of Highway 89 and the Boulder Loop as a National Area, without taking into account the impact on the traditional rural way of life and economy, points out a new organization, RUFLS. See also: Heritage Rivers and Areas

“Biosphere Reserves Do Have Consequences” — Source: U.S. Senate Subcommiteee on Forests and Public Land Management, May 16, 1999 An environmental group, Help Alert Western Kentucky, Inc., filed a lawsuit against a timber sale in the Land Between the Lakes area owned by TVA, arguing that the Biosphere Reserve Core Area should be undisturbed. See also: Biosphere Reserves

“McGinty Nomination Withdrawn” Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell withdrew, at least temporarily, Katie McGinty’s name from consideration to head the Department of Environmental Protection. (PRFA, April 24, 2003) See also: Government Land Ownership and Control — National

Update: March 1, 2003: Vote about whether to Save the Batavia Dam in Illinois Scheduled for April 1 Citizens are fighting to save the north Batavia dam in Illinois. According to the “Save the Dam” web site, last fall’s decision by the City Council of Batavia to remove the Batavia at a cost of $8.6 million was in response to out-of-town political pressure. “This action would make us a national experiment, a ‘poster child’ for dam removal in the midst of highly urbanized areas,” stated Robert F. Barnes, M. D. on web site, www.keepthebataviadam.com. A vote will take place on April 1. Contact information. See also: Dam Relicensing (FERC)

Pennsylvania - Urgent Action Alert! Oppose the Appointment of Katie McGinty as Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection (PRFA, Jan. 31, 2003) See also: Government Land Ownership and Control — National Katie McGinty Photo: Peter J. LaGrasse

January 30, 2003 Letter to the Healthy Forests Initiative, Forest Service, USDA, from Carol W. LaGrasse Letter urges approval of President Bush’s Healthy Forest Initiative with proposed categorical exclusions from NEPA to expedite the reduction of excessive fuel buildup in the National Forests. See also: Government Land Ownership and Control —National

June 18, 2002: Asst. Sec. of U.S. Dept. of Interior responds to LaGrasse (DOI Letter, June 18, 2002) Commenting specifically on LaGrasse’s March 10, 2002 letter to DOI, Lynn Scarlet, Asst. Secretary, Policy, Management and Budget, responded, “With respect to your recommendation that endangered, threatened and rare species restoration should be contracted out, the President’s Management Agenda does call for a greater focus on competitive sourcing...We share your desire for transparency and a wide range of partnerships for conservation.” See also: Conservation Easements See also: Land Trusts See also: Government Land Ownership and Control - National

June 24, 2002: “Senate Drops Stealth Measure for Capitol Gains Tax Relief” — By Carol W. LaGrasse (PRFA, June 24, 2002) A capital gains tax credit of 25 percent was to favor landowners who sell land or conservation easements to land trusts or government. This “conservation” provision was hidden in Bush’s “Faith-based Initiative.” See also: Conservation Easements

February 2002: “Interior Dept. Seeks Comments on Strategic Plan” Secretary Gail Norton asks for ideas to guide budget, goals and performance measures for five year period. Deadline for comment is March 2002. See also: National Park Service—National

November 2001: Bush Administration signs a Memorandum of Understanding with The Nature Conservancy to jointly manage the nation’s National Forests The U.S. Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy announced a watershed memorandum of understanding (MOU) on November 16 to share the management of the entire National Forest system. The agreement includes inventorying, monitoring, protection and restoration of forest, grassland and aquatic habitat for fish, wildlife and plant resources. According to the official press release, the underlying goals of the memorandum of understanding include preservation of biodiversity and ecosystem management, rather than production of raw materials to feed the nation’s economy. Two key MOU directives are to utilize prescribed burns and to combat invasive species. The MOU can be expected to reinforce the previous administration’s road closure policy. See also: Land Trusts

National Park Service, Sen. Jeffords Push International Champlain Heritage Corridor The National Park Service, Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies have spent over $25 million during the past eight - nine years promoting the significance and protection of Lake Champlain and its watershed. U.S. Senator James M. Jeffords (Dem., Vt.) has resurrected his controversial National Heritage Corridor scheme for the Champlain Valley with a new twist, international designation as the Champlain/Richelieu Valley Heritage Corridor. The sell is pork barrel. At the principle New York meeting, significant land acquisition and potential greenway restrictions were denied. This fall, NPS is holding workshops and hearings in New York, Vermont and Quebec. See also: Heritage Rivers & Areas

“Department of Interior Official Asks to Hear Concerns” - letter from Kit Kimball, Director, Office of External and Intergovernmental Affairs, to PRFA, September 25, 2001 Kit Kimball, the new appointee by Secretary Gale A. Norton, sent a letter to the Property Rights Foundation of America announcing that her office’s responsibilities “include working with advocacy and non-profit organizations actively seeking input in policies and programs as they are discussed and implemented here at the Department of Interior.” See also: National Park Service—National

July 2001 Pennsylvania Passes Conservation Easement Legislation With little opposition, the Uniform Conservation Easement Act passed the Pennsylvania legislature this summer with the all-important bill’s standard provisions intact that cancel historic common law provisions against negative encumbrances, but with a revision to the standard provisions granting third party enforcement powers. A forest industry amendment added early in the summer is designed to restrict third party enforcement powers to parties named in the easement. Last minute wording also adds the purposes of “economic benefit,” and “managing the land” to the legislation. Protections for coal rights were incorporated earlier. Pennsylvania landowners and forest industry had learned about the bill from PRFA, which had also posted information on the PRFA web page.  See also: Conservation Easements

Bulletin - June 28, 2001 “U. S. Supreme Court Rules That ‘Takings’ Are Not Wiped Out By Change of Ownership - Ruling in Palazzolo v. Rhode Island holds that a State cannot be allowed ‘to put an expiration date on the Takings Clause.’ ” - Carol W. LaGrasse, (PRFA - June 28, 2001 See also: Wetlands Policy—National

Update - June 2001: “Conservation Easement Bill in Pennsylvania Legislature-H.R. 975 Would Cancel Protections for Private Property, Allow Third Parties to Enforce Conservation Easements” - Carol W. LaGrasse (PRFA, June 2001) See also: Conservation Easements

March 2001 Lawsuits Attack Property Seizures Institute Campaigns Against Condemnations to Transfer Property to Private Owners See also: Eminent Domain—New York; Eminent Domain—National

March 2001: “Earth Liberation Front is now FBI’s No. 1 Domestic Terrorist Threat—Mainstream media finally pick up on the concern of ecoterrorism” See also: Environmental Groups—National

February 2001: “Unions Use Environmental Lawsuits to Extort Labor Agreements—Power Plants in California Delayed” See also: Environmental Groups—National

January 2001: “U. S. Supreme Court Narrows Power of Corps of Engineers - Army regulate isolated wetlands” - Carol W. LaGrasse (PRFA - January 2001) See also: New York State Wetlands Justice Project

December 2000 “A Clear and Crucial Need for Land Trust Regulation” J. Zane Walley, reprinted by permission of The Paragon Foundation from Paragon Powerhouse, December 2000 See also: Land Trusts

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