PLF’s Burling, the Sacketts and Gov. Parnell will speak on the Sacketts’ case

Anchorage, AK; May 21, 2012: Tomorrow, May 22, The Resource Development Council of Alaska will host a special luncheon on the Pacific Legal Foundation’s recent victory at the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Sackett v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The program is titled: “Sacked by the EPA: The story of Mike and Chantell Sackett. Their recent victory before the U.S. Supreme Court and why it matters to Alaska.”

Speakers are PLF clients Mike and Chantell Sackett of Priest Lake, Idaho, and PLF Litigation Director James S. Burling. Remarks by Governor Sean Parnell are also on the agenda.

The luncheon takes place Tuesday, May 22, 2012, at 12 noon (Alaska Time).

It will be held at Anchorage’s Dena’ina Civic & Convention Center, third floor.

Cost is $35. Contact The Resource Development Council at akrdc.org/membership/events, or at (907) 276-0700, ext. 6.

The Sacketts’ victory over EPA abuse

Mike and Chantell Sackett obtained a county permit to build a three-bedroom home on their small parcel in a residential neighborhood of Priest Lake. But after they began laying gravel, federal regulators showed up, out of the blue, and told them to halt work, claiming their land is federally controlled “wetlands.” EPA followed up with a wetlands “compliance order” that threatened the Sacketts with tens of thousands of dollars per day in fines if they did not comply with a detailed list of EPA demands.

With good reason, the Sacketts do not believe their property is “wetlands,” but EPA denied them a hearing. Represented by PLF attorneys, the Sacketts sued — but EPA contended that they had no right to judicial review of the agency’s compliance order. The Ninth Circuit sided with EPA. But this past March, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed. In landmark decision, the justices unanimously held that property owners have a right to their day in court if EPA grabs their land by branding it “wetlands” and issuing a heavy-handed “compliance order.”

About Pacific Legal Foundation
Donor-supported Pacific Legal Foundation (www.pacificlegal.org) is a legal watchdog organiza­tion that litigates for limited government, property rights, free enterprise, and a balanced approach to environmental protection, in courts across the country. The Sackett ruling marks PLF’s sixth victory at the U.S. Supreme Court for clients in high-profile PLF lawsuits for liberty and limited government.