Posted on 05/08/2012 6:52:15 PM PDT by tobyhill
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.”
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
One of the first laws that should be repealed in January.
GEE...FOX just figured this out? I SPY RADIO had a program on it last year.....
Anybody who believes this was Carter's real goal is too dumb to be posting on this forum.
Thanks tobyhill.
What do you expect from voters who elected an unknown, unvetted community organizer president?
They are clueless.
First they came for the smokers, but I didn't smoke...
Later, when they came for the ordinary citizens, no one was left to oppose the totalitarians.
That has been going on for at least 30 years that I know of. And it's obscene.
Taxpayer money is used by "activists" to oppress taxpayers and sue other federal agencies who pay fines also financed by the American taxpayers.
Why cant citizens and small businesses uses this law to fight the IRS, EPA, etc. for Conservative purposes....
Liberals use our own laws against us...while Conservatives play by the rules...
We always lose because we don’t know how to fight fire with fire!!
Why cant citizens and small businesses uses this law to fight the IRS, EPA, etc. for Conservative purposes....
Liberals use our own laws against us...while Conservatives play by the rules...
We always lose because we don’t know how to fight fire with fire!!
I believe the USSC just opened this up vis a vis the EPA. Things ought to get REAL interesting now. Don’t kill that law yet.
Carter knew this when the law was passed. It was a set up to pass money along for the get go. What Democratic program isn’t?
The criminals in sierra club, bluewater, wilderness society etc should have been dealt with by Bush. I see pain in the near future.
This country needs an enema badly.
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