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Show Bill Assists Small Property Owner WASHINGTON Small landowners who cannot afford to fight for their rights were given a boost from the federal government when Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah signed on to the "Private Property Owners Bill of Rights." "The bill is designed to protect landowners swamped in a sea of environmental regulations that effectively ef-fectively deny them the value and use of their property," Hatch said. "We've found in Utah and in many other states as well, that many environmental envi-ronmental laws have trampled on Constitutionally protected rights. This measure is a step in the direction direc-tion of giving back those rights." Hatch charged the federal bureaucracy bu-reaucracy with not respecting private pri-vate property. "This bill would demand respect from the bureaucracy, bureau-cracy, while at the same time protect pro-tect private property," Hatch continued. con-tinued. "And it would create an administrative appeals process for affected property owners." The legislation woutd target the two worst property rights offenders, the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act's wetlands permitting permit-ting program. Landowners would be compensated compen-sated if they can prove that federal actions under the Endangered Species Act or wetlands permitting program devalue their property by 50 percent or more. |