LAWYERS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS GROUPS GET MILLIONS IN TAX DOLLARS:

LAWYERS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS GROUPS GET MILLIONS IN TAX DOLLARS: 

They do it by filing “citizen suits” demanding more regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Interior and other federal agencies, according to Michael Bastasch and Ethan Barton of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The suits are authorized – some might say invited – under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), Clean Air Act (CAA) and Clean Water Act (CWA), among others. These “sue and settle” legal charades happen behind closed doors where the lawyers for the activists groups confer with lawyers for the government to work out a “settlement.”

The lawyers fees for the plaintiffs are paid by the taxpayers, a provision of the laws which provides a significant incentive to do as many depositions and file the maximum number of motions before the settlement talks commence.

“Federal agencies paid out $30 million to attorneys for 237 citizen suits under the ESA. Citizen suits under CAA paid out the second most, at $13 million for 224 suits, and the 51 CWA suits resulted in $6.7 million in federal payments,” according to Bastasch and Barton.

The Sierra Club is the most frequent user the provision, suing federal agencies 34 times between 2009 and 2012, often represented by Earthjustice, which was spun-off of the club in 1997.

“Earthjustice has received $4 million from suing federal agencies 39 times since 2009, according to TheDCNF’s findings. The group declined to speak with TheDCNF when asked about getting attorney’s fees paid for when suing the government,” according to Bastasch and Barton.

by Mark Tapscott

https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/240987/