With clear indifference to the welfare of a group of Missouri residents, unelected bureaucrats in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission decreed that structures built on the shores of the Lake of the Ozarks over the past eighty years, since the completion of the lake, are encroachments. Consequently, these “Regulators” refused to grant Ameren, the company that owns the lake, a new 40-year license to operate the dam until the structures in question are removed.
They are not talking boat docks or outhouses. This ruling affects hundreds of residences and hundreds of millions in real estate value while setting a precedent to confiscate private property along the shores of any lake that requires a permit to operate a dam. This is not a case of eminent domain where property is taken after due process and remuneration, for the construction of projects for the public good. This is forced removal and these petty people with power seem to ignore that property owners have title deeds, and that private property along the shores for the past eighty years has not created any disasters.
No doubt, the bureaucrats will claim they are only following the law, but in this there are only two possibilities: The laws they cling to were passed after the properties were built, or the laws were not enforced, thereby deceiving property owners, title companies, lending agencies, title attorneys, developers, Ameren and everyone else involved. In either case, it is unreasonable to punish property owners.
How much longer will voters tolerate government agencies with the unaccountable authority to oppress our own citizens? This ruling will cause many sleepless nights, untold stress, enormous legal expenses, disruptions in life, liberty and the pursuits of happiness for these property owners and in the end, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that wrought this misery will feel none of the pain.
How would you feel if you were notified that your home would be razed because some government agency did not like the location? If we allow the government to do this to these people, the next time they may do it to us. Meanwhile, folks that have lakeside homes across our nation are in real danger of losing them when it is time to renew the dam operating permit (pun intended).
For more information and to sign a petition go to: http://www.lakeareaconservativeclub.org/ferc-and-the-lake-of-the-ozarks/
For more information and to sign a petition go to: http://www.lakeareaconservativeclub.org/ferc-and-the-lake-of-the-ozarks/
Jim
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