You wouldn't believe what my uncle went through trying to protect his land on Utah lake from the EPA. They didn't realize that he had the money and will to fight them over it.
The EPA ordered him to clean up a dike on his land that had been there long before he purchased it. It got so bad that they pad locked his gate saying it was government property and arrested him for going in to feed his bison. He was released on bail and then got a call in the middle of the night from a federal agent that didn't agree with what was going on who warned him that they had snipers in place with orders to shoot him if he so much as made a threatening gesture. He said they agents were really wanting to just "take him out" and were trying to set him up to do it.
This anonymous caller said that an environmental group with ties to the Clinton administration was pushing for it because they wanted his property for a refuge.
They said he violated the wet lands protection act because he dumped some dirt on a dike that that had been in place since before he owned the land claiming he reinforced the dike. He had a federal permit issued in 1991 allowing him to reinforce the existing dike. The said dike was well behind the property line on his deed and deeded as dry land and he had not seen water anywhere near it the whole time he owned the land.
The EPA claimed his actions threatened the June sucker, an endangered fish, and that the land was "located in the area of a recorded prehistoric site used by Native Americans." What in this country isn't. They could use that excuse to take anyone's land.
They went so far as to fine him over 1 Billion in fines and then started to seize his other assets. He finally beat the wetlands violations in court but was convicted on federal charges for disobeying their orders and going on his own land. The governor of Utah later pardoned him. The government seized his land under false pretense and then prosecuted him for his actions related to that seizure.
Basically they seized his land without a trial and then prosecuted him for going on his own land. He told me he could not believe how dirty and corrupt the agency was and how thug like most of their agents were. He said it scared him for the future of the country. He said the government can just change laws and then bully anyone off their land.
Most of this happened around 2000 and it might have not stopped if Gore would have been elected.
