[beyondashadow]

Spokeswoman Elaine Makatura said the DEP, which requires the creation of new wetlands when they are disturbed, gave DOT a permit to destroy wetlands in Sussex County. "Where the mitigation takes place is not the DEP's decision," she said.

More of the same from New Jersey...it's a wonder anyone still lives here.

[Renegade]

The guy losing the land should rent a bulldozer and ride it right through Makatura 's living room,.

[I still care]

They've been doing this in FL for years. Remember that guy Jesse, whose home was taken for the Everglades?

[patton]

Funny - the exactly the same thing is being done in the netherlands. A dike is being leveled, a farm flooded, to make up for loss of wetlands on a canal elsewhere.

Hmmmmm. Do we all live under EU control?

[xcamel]

Never ends, does it?

[Doogle]

typical politics here in Jersey, in a few years they'll sell it to another developer just like the original deal.
Some sticky fingered politico's brother in law will make millions.....and the feeding binge continues at the pig farm known as Trenton

Doogle

[Ben Hecks]

I notice how the eco-nuts avoid the use of the correct word..........swamp.

[maine-iac7]

taking part of a working farm to offset road work many miles away is "strange."

the ruling by the SCOTUS giving the right of anyone to take anyones land for any reason is pure anarchy - total absence of law - it is a very slippery slope - a door that let's the lawless, the hustlers, to rush in from every direction.

This baby need to be put back in the box - quick

[Beagle8U]

If NJ wants to build a road in a swamp, fine do that.

But now the state was the one that caused the wetland loss, they can use state property to make up for it. There must be a park or something on a river that they can flood?

Perhaps a city or county park could be condemned and flooded, that way they would be stealing from ALL the voters, not just one!

If I lived in that State/county/city THAT is what I would try to get enforced as law, this crap would soon end!

[CindyDawg]

We need to get rid of eminent domain. Our government leaders can not be trusted to use it, for the purpose it was intended. They need to either buy, or go around.

[Beagle8U]

NJ.com uses the exact same on-line format as the on-line format for my little local paper in Michigan.

Its very easy to use the tools on that site to write op/ed articles and submit them there.

They could get some heartland opinion on this crappy decision that was made...lol

[sergeantdave]

The USSC already ruled in Dolan v Tigard that a state can't do this. This maneuver is monumental stupidity and arrogance in action.

First, the theft of the farmland totally violates the rough proportionality test.

Second, there's no nexus between state construction of a road and the man's farm.

And third, it's completely arbitrary and capricious, not to mention asinine.

The first federal court that sees this case will tell New Jersey to take a flying leap and give the man his land back. And NJ will probably get hit with an order to pay the man's legal costs, other "expenses" and get slammed with punitive judgement.

Idiots.

[Miss Maam]

Ping.

[freepatriot32]

Rights, farms, environment ping.
Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
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[lawdude]

My sister has been barred from farming about 20 acres of land because someone blocked (illegally) the free flow of water into some wetlands. In fact, she isn't allowed to sell it because it will all be considered wetlands and flood plain. Of course, it has never been flooded, they have shown the feds the water dam and the feds said it didn't exist. The 'dozer that created it is still sitting there after 20 years.

[Publius6961]

Department of Transportation officials said they will take parts of Steven Linz's 154-acre Harvestone Farms on East Avenue in Morris County to compensate for destruction of wetlands during four road construction projects in Sussex County.

This is a classic example of one bureaucracy sticking it to another bureaucracy, both with powers of eminent domain, and a private taxpayer loses... It make no sense, and is larceny in any other context.
That the hapless private owner happens to own the perfect land with which to offset the wetland that the DOT is destroying elsewhere is irrelevant. It's still a criminal act.

Reminds me of an old cartoon about a letter which said, The IRS has lost your 1997 income tax return; if it is not found within 30 days, you are subject to a $10,000 fine, 2 years in jail, or both..."

[Seadog Bytes]

...Did you see this?