Can't Plow,What Next

Farmer faces $2.8 million fine after plowing field,what next!
Farmer faces 2.8 million fine

Scary stuff!

We have been living with regulations for a long time. When new fields in questionable areas (he knew the score!) are ripped and planted, the "I want to do this" attitude is wrong. Jim

The bigger the Gov get the more things they will stick there hands in and cause problems. If it keep up one will need a permit just to take a leak out doors

I still say (from my armchair expertise! ;-D ) that this thing has gotten blown WAYYYYYY out of proportion! The farmer admitted to hiring a consulting firm, right? He also admitted to working 7 acres. [b:bb60d8eeec]7 ACRES!![/b:bb60d8eeec] He had no prior knowledge of needing an ACE permit. So why in blazes sue the man for 2.8 million????

I'm very much outraged by this. As for him knowing there were seasonal wetlands, I would assume that's why he hired a consultation company, as any "official maps or documents" outlining such off-limits areas were very likely non-existent at the time. So the guy paid out of his pocket to know where he could and could not go. Yet, by his own word, he went into the forbidden zone by 7 acres. ......7 acres?!?!? REALLY?? 7 acres of SEASONAL WETLANDS?? Sorry, but in this instance, my opinion is that the gov't is WAY out of control!!

I'm all for protecting nature. Hell, I "LIVE" in nature! There's more concrete basements with full-grown trees growing out of them around here than there are lived-in households! We like seeing deer and elk come on the property, and for the first time this year are also seeing turkeys. We have geese and ducks every Spring, except it's too dry here for them to nest so they moved on - but they'll be back. We have Ruffed Grouse that'll let the riding mower get within 15' of them before flying away because they know they're safe here. So while I understand the need to protect wildlife, there also needs to be some protections to protect PEOPLE as well!!

We also have Lynx, Bobcat, Bear (including a cinnamon for 2 seasons!), groundhog, skunk, raccoon, and many other animals. We consider "ourselves" to be the invaders here, and live our lives accordingly, yet with a reasonable balance.

Seems to me this farmer also did everything he could do to find a reasonable balance - short of going over that boundary by 7 acres. And was that 7 acres listed as such on the mapping from the consultation? ...Don't believe I remember seeing anything about that little tidbit of info. Still, it had previously been unheard of to need to get a permit to plow, much less from the Army Corps of Engineers. 2.8 MILLION?!?!? Absurd!

Wow, you just gotta love Bureaucrats and scum sucking lawyers (not ALL lawyers are bad, only 87.33%). How absurd. No Idea whether the 'farmer' was cheating (happens), but 'Boy Howdy' what a great steaming mound of tortoise feathers !