Environmental groups collecting millions from federal agencies they sue, studies show

Fox News ^ | May 08, 2012 | Joshua Rhett Miller

[Sopater]

Deep-pocketed environmental groups are collecting millions of dollars from the federal agencies they regularly sue under a little-known federal law, and the government is not even keeping track of the payouts, according to two new studies.

Under the Equal Access to Justice Act, or EAJA — which was signed into law by President Carter in 1980 to help the little guy stand up to federal agencies — litigants with modest means who successfully show government agencies wronged them can get their legal fees back from the taxpayer.

But the act also covers 501(c)(3) nonprofits, including environmental groups that aggressively sue the feds to enforce land-use laws, the Clean Water and Clean Air acts and laws protecting endangered species. Their lawyers are getting reimbursed at rates as high as $750 an hour, sources tell FoxNews.com.

“It was intended for helping our nation's veterans, seniors and small business owners, but environmental groups have hijacked the so-called Equal Access to Justice Act and abused it to fund their own agenda,” Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., told FoxNews.com. “Then you have small businesses and the American taxpayers left to foot the bill.”

[Sopater]

When will people wake up and realize that nothing goes as it was intended as far as the Gov't is concerned?

[EQAndyBuzz]

Basically write a law that states reimbursements will not exceed the minimun hourly wage.

Hold a press conference and rent out time on the MSM for it.

Now hold the vote.

[EGPWS]

...and the government is not even keeping track of the payouts,...

Work all your life to be forced to pay for this kind of incompetent fiscal maneuvering.

When will it end?

[LucianOfSamasota]

When will it end?

Never. As long as there are people and money.

[GraceG]

Gee, when you let non-profits sue the government it creates a whole food chain of lawyers and Non-profits leeching off the government teat.....

We need Tort reform and loser pays.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The ACLU invented the format.

[Cyber Liberty]

in·cest (nsst)

n.

1. Sexual relations between persons who are so closely related that their marriage is illegal or forbidden by custom.

2. The statutory crime of sexual relations with such a near relative.

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[Middle English, from Latin incestum, from neuter of incestus, impure, unchaste : in-, not; see in-¹ + castus, pure, chaste; see kes- in Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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[RedMDer]

Liberals do not want liberty for anyone. They would rather dictate what we do, what we buy, where we go and when, and what we can do while there. Please donate. The Republic you save may be your own.

Liberals do not want liberty for anyone. They would rather dictate what we do, what we buy, where we go and when, and what we can do while there. Please donate. The Republic you save may be your own.

Liberals do not want liberty for anyone. They would rather dictate what we do, what we buy, where we go and when, and what we can do while there. Please donate. The Republic you save may be your own.

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Liberals do not want liberty for anyone. They would rather dictate what we do, what we buy, where we go and when, and what we can do while there.
Please donate.
The Republic you save may be your own.

[cunning_fish]

Meanwhile in Russia....

[IMG]http://www.e1.ru/fun/photo/view_pic.php/p/8c0a56bb4315f8acdefbd2bbf72605e5/view.pic[/IMG]