In the End, the Government Claims Everything
Have you ever wondered who owns the rain that falls on your property?
Well, it’s not necessarily you.
Across the country, resourceful homeowners have embraced rainwater capture as a way of conserving community water supplies while maintaining healthy gardens. Unfortunately, rain barrels are sometimes at odds with the law. Facing certain water scarcity, cities and states have begun to wrestle with the conundrum of water rights versus conservation. When it all shakes out, will you own the rain that falls on your own property?
The irony here is that the Federal government has made a big deal of collecting rainwater as one of the very basic things you should do to conserve resources and protect the environment (pdf link). Not only that, but the EPA spends taxpayer money on grants to the states to help them promote “rainwater harvesting” and many states have gone so far as to offer tax credits and subsidies to encourage the practice.
Still, when push comes to shove, there is nothing the state won’t claim as its own, even the water that falls from the sky.
(via Instapundit)
Other Posts of Interest:
- Maryland Has a Chickens**t Problem, But It’s Not in the Bay
- I’m From the Government and I’m Here to Change Your Oil
- Shut Up and Save the Earth, You Evil American!
Category: Oh the Climate, It is A-Changin', The Rise of the Nanny State
