And the EPA strikes again!

Good day all, In what is becoming a standing headline, the Environmental Protection Agency has once again overstepped it’s authority and decided that they can do whatever the hell they want to. In this case, in total violation of Congress, they decided to transfer a town and all the property involved to the Wind River Indian Reservation.

Say what? you ask? This is complicated so sit down, take your blood pressure and heart meds if needed and read what the Daily Caller has to say:

Have you heard the story of the residents of Riverton, Wyo.? One day they were Wyomingans, the next they were members of the Wind River tribes — after the Environmental Protection Agency declared the town part of the Wind River Indian Reservation, undoing a 1905 law passed by Congress and angering state officials.

Umm, how can a bunch of bureaucrats just repudiate a law passed by congress? Well this is the EPA under the Obama Administration and the rule of law was long ago thrown out the window.

The surprise decision was made by officials of the EPA, the Department of Interior, and Department of Justice early last month, and has invoked the ire of Gov. Matt Mead, who has vowed not to honor the agency’s decision and is preparing to fight in court.

“My deep concern is about an administrative agency of the federal government altering a state’s boundary and going against over 100 years of history and law,” Mead said in a statement. “This should be a concern to all citizens because, if the EPA can unilaterally take land away from a state, where will it stop?”

It won’t stop. Not until someone lands so hard on the EPA and the Federal Government that they have to be scraped up with a spatula. So just what happened here?

The EPA declared that Riverton was part of the Wind River Indian Reservation after granting a “Treatment as a State” application from the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes. The tribes submit such applications to get funding for air quality monitoring under the Clean Air Act. However, this seemingly innocuous application ended up undoing the tribal boundaries set by a 1905 congressional act. The EPA granted the tribes’ claim that the Wind River reservation extended over one million acres of land beyond what the 1905 Congressional Act established. By doing this, the agency effectively overruled an act of Congress, state officials charge.

Isn’t this the same agency that not long ago refused to provide information that was subpoena by a Congressional committee ((EPA Flouts Congressional Subpoena))? Why would you think they would pay any attention to an actual law passed by Congress? So what would be the result if this is allowed to stand?

The worry by state officials is that turning Riverton, a town of over 10,000 people, over to the tribes will come with a slew of tax and law enforcement complications. Since Riverton is now part of the Wind River reservation, it is technically no longer eligible for state services and no longer falls under local law enforcement. Mead, however, has ordered that state agencies conduct “business as usual” in regards to Riverton, meaning state services, law enforcement and regulations will continue.

“This is an alarming action when you have a federal agency step in and start to undo congressional acts that has really been our history for 108 years … with the stroke of a pen without talking to the biggest groups impacted,” state Sen. Leland Christensen told The Daily Caller News Foundation, “and that would be the city of Riverton and the state of Wyoming.”

Not to mention what might happen with the residents of the community. For all intents and purposes, they have been put under the control of the Wind River Reservation. Now I am no expert in the legal ramifications, but law enforcement is going to be a problem as is property rights. As I understand it, and I’m probably quite wrong, the reservation’s legal system has priority and the states laws are generally not enforceable. And did the EPA notify the governors office about this change? You are joking, right?

According to the Mead’s office, the EPA’s decision came as a surprise to him, and he only found about it from the media — not the EPA itself. This comes after Mead wrote to EPA administrator Gina McCarthy last August detailing his concerns about the implications of granting the tribes’ request to effectively override the 1905 act.

There’s a lot of back and forth going on between the state government and the reservation. Accusations are flying and there is a lot of rhetoric. The Governor’s office is in touch with the state’s senators and representatives of course.

“The EPA’s decision has in effect overturned a law that has been governing land and relationships for more than 100 years,” wrote Wyoming Sens Mike Enzi and John Barrasso, along with Rep. Cynthia Lummis. “We are also very concerned about the political ramifications this decision could have for the tribes and the state of Wyoming.”

The dispute has received little national attention as of yet, but the Wyoming congressional delegation has written the EPA on the issue.

Don’t hold your breath waiting for a response from them. If they run true to form, they will ignore your or just lie. There is a lot of legal back and forth on this and you should read the story on the Daily Caller for those details. One thing the story doesn’t cover is what the residence of Riverton have to say. That is probably the most important thing that everyone has to consider since they are the ones who are going to be affected by the EPA’s diktats.

If this EPA power grab is not what these people want, then this could escalate rapidly into an out of control situation. Congress needs to reign in this agency, and as I’ve said before, they should give active consideration to stripping them of any regulatory authority and shut them down. Fire all employees and sell off any office space. That would be a major step in restoring freedom to the United States of America.

Thatisall

~The Angry Webmaster~

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