Seeing our neighbors from 2,000 miles away

By JONATHAN LANGE
Posted 10/20/19

Tribute to Johnson family who stood up to EPA for personal rights, which will be good for all

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Seeing our neighbors from 2,000 miles away

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It’s not every day that a welder from Uinta County gets to share the podium with the President of the United States. But that’s what happened Wednesday, Oct. 8. Andy Johnson did not seek the spotlight. The spotlight fell on him—with all the fury of a bureaucracy scorned.

The achievement that put him on the dais with President Trump was he stood for his rights as an American citizen against the threat of financial ruin. By quietly standing for property rights, Johnson not only won the case but also helped to expose injustices that threaten the lives and livelihoods of every family in America.

The ordeal began in 2011 when the Johnson family applied for a permit to build a stock pond on their property. They crossed every “T” and dotted every “i” state and federal statute required. Then they saved and worked for more than a year to improve their property and make Six Mile Creek more ecologically friendly.

When the work was practically done, in 2013, the Army Corps of Engineers wanted to inspect the pond. While a pair of agents were making measurements and taking notes, the Johnsons asked repeatedly if there were any violations of federal law. The answer, variations of “We don’t know.”

If federal agents, whose business it is to know the law, don’t know whether the law has been violated, how is it possible for anyone to know the law? Neither the Wyoming State Engineer’s office, nor anyone in local government, knew of any federal regulations the Johnsons had failed to meet. After the project was completed, the Johnsons received a letter demanding they stop construction.

Eventually, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) got in on the act. Richard Clark, from Region 8, couldn’t tell them whether they were violating any federal regulations. He could only tell them they would have to spend a lot of money to prove they were not.

Six-months later, the EPA demanded the pond be torn down. It threatened the Johnsons with criminal penalties and civil fines ranging from $37,500 to $75,000 per day until they conformed to EPA demands.

Only when the Pacific Legal Foundation helped the Johnsons file suit against the EPA did the tables turn. On May 9, 2016, 10 months later, the agency dropped all fines and ceased demanding the demolition of the Johnsons’ pond, but EPA never did admit any fault.

In a county of only 20,500 people, the Johnson’s story should be common knowledge. One of our own families stood up to an obvious injustice from an overwhelming leviathan and won. Sadly, media manipulation has distorted our view of the world so most people are more familiar with the latest news-cycle in Washington, D.C. than with their next-door neighbor.

Once the Johnsons stood next to President Trump, their identity as real people and fellow citizens of Uinta County is easily swallowed up by the swamp of identity politics. Those who did not vote for President Trump should be every bit as thankful for the Johnson’s steadfastness as those who did.

I don’t know if Andy is politically red or blue. I don’t know if his lovely wife, Morgan, shares his political hue or differs in some regard. What I do know is, they and their kids are members of our community and deserve kudos from all of us. The ordeal they endured will have lasting effects on our own property rights and the rights of our children and grandchildren.

When Andy, Morgan and their youngest child Rowan participated in the signing of President Trump’s “Executive Order on Promoting the Rule of Law Through Transparency and Fairness in Civil Administrative Enforcement and Adjudication,” they represented all Americans—not half of us.

whatever regulations are not available online will be counted as rescinded.

At the podium, Andy Johnson said, “I would just like to thank the president today for signing this executive order, which will hold the EPA and other government agencies more responsible for their actions. Thank you.”

Andy, thank you for speaking so eloquently on our behalf. I apologize for not hearing you until you were 2,000 miles away.

Jonathan Lange has raised his family and served as a pastor of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod in Evanston and Kemmerer for two decades.