Brace v. United States

48 Fed. Cl. 272, 31 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 20300, 51 ERC (BNA) 2073, 2000 U.S. Claims LEXIS 248, 2000 WL 1782210
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedDecember 1, 2000
DocketNo. 98-897 L
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 48 Fed. Cl. 272 (Brace v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Federal Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brace v. United States, 48 Fed. Cl. 272, 31 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 20300, 51 ERC (BNA) 2073, 2000 U.S. Claims LEXIS 248, 2000 WL 1782210 (uscfc 2000).

Opinion

[274]*274ORDER

MOODY R. TIDWELL, III, Senior Judge.

A property owner filed a complaint alleging that the government effectively took his property without just compensation when plaintiff was ordered to cease maintenance and operation of a drainage system on its property and to restore portions of property to a prior condition which would exhibit wetland characteristics. Plaintiff contends that the government action has interfered with his reasonable, investment-backed expectations he had when he acquired the property in 1975, since jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act had not been extended until 1977. Plaintiff also contends that his property has been severely impaired. Now before this court is the defendant’s motion for summary judgment. For the reasons set forth below, defendant’s motion for summary judgment is DENIED.

BACKGROUND

The following facts are undisputed for the purpose of this motion, unless otherwise noted. In the instant matter, both plaintiff and defendant rely on facts concluded by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.1 Plaintiff claims the taking of approximately 30 acres of property located in Erie County, Pennsylvania, by the federal government without just compensation, in violation of the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.2

Defendant asserts that plaintiff is a farmer who owns approximately 600 acres of real property, by relying on the Third Circuit’s summarization of facts as determined by the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.3 Mr. Brace disputes this fact and argues that the references to the 600 acres of land were based on findings by the District Court which involved an action brought against plaintiff and a corporation in which plaintiff had an interest.

In December 1975, plaintiff purchased two parcels of land from his father, one of which contained the wetland site, that is at issue in the instant case. One parcel, the Homestead Farm (hereinafter “parcel A”), consisted of approximately 80 acres, while the second parcel, the Murphy Farm (hereinafter “parcel B” or “Subject Property”), consisted of approximately 60 acres and contained the wetland site. Defendant argues that plaintiff purchased the property with the intent of integrating the property into the larger 600 acre operation. Plaintiff states that he purchased the property with the intention of continuing in the family farming business, improving the two parcels of land, and expanding his farming business.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (“ASCS”), had previously prepared a drainage plan relating to the wetland site, parcel B, for plaintiffs father after it identified portions of the site containing wetlands. Mr. Brace’s father used the land only for pasture, not for growing crops. Mr. Brace was aware of and utilized the soil conservation plans.

In May 1983, plaintiff acquired an additional 135 acres from his cousin. The land is adjacent to parcels A and B.

Plaintiff states that from 1976 to 1987, plaintiff cleared, leveled and drained the wooded and vegetated property, while defendant states that plaintiff did this from 1985 to 1987. Plaintiff paid for excavation in the site and the laying of “drainage tile” in the form of plastic tubing in an effort to drain the property. As a result of plaintiffs leveling, spreading and tiling, plaintiff began to grow crops on the site in 1986 and 1987, although [275]*275plaintiff states that he began to grow crops on the property in 1976. Plaintiff did not have a Clean Water Act (hereinafter “CWA”) section 404 permit authorizing his activities.4

The United States became aware of plaintiffs activities in 1987, and between 1987 and 1988, it issued three orders directing plaintiff to refrain from further disturbing the site so that it could naturally revegetate the area with indigenous plant species. Mr. Brace states that the three orders directed plaintiff to refrain from further disturbing over 200 acres, some of which he owned and some of which he did not. The first of these three orders, issued on July 15, 1987, was an Administrative Order issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The second order was a Cease and Desist Order, issued on July 23, 1987, by the Army Corps of Engineers (hereinafter “Corps”) of the United States of America. The third order was on May 3, 1988, when the EPA issued another Administrative Order (hereinafter collectively “the Orders”) after finding that plaintiff was engaged in dredge and fill activities in waters of the United States without a permit required by section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Plaintiff was ordered to cease maintenance and operation of the drainage system on the parcel B, the Subject Property, and to restore portions of the Subject Property to a prior condition exhibiting wetlands characteristics. Despite the issuance of the Orders, Mr. Brace continued to mow vegetation at the site which prevented re-vegetation of indigenous plants.

During the summer of 1988, plaintiff contacted the ASCS and requested that his property receive the status of “commenced conversion from wetlands” prior to December 23, 1985. The ASCS granted the status based on plaintiffs ongoing farming activity commencing prior to December 1985.5

On October 4,1990, the United States filed an enforcement action against plaintiff in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. On December 22, 1993, the District Court held that plaintiffs activities were exempt from the permit requirements of section 404 of the CWA. On November 22, 1994, on appeal by the United States, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit reversed the District Court and held plaintiff liable for the violations asserted in the orders issued by the EPA and the Corps, and remanded the matter to the District Court for remedial measures.

On September 3, 1996, the District Court entered a Consent Decree enjoining plaintiff from operating and maintaining the drainage system for parcel B containing the wetland site. The court ordered plaintiff to dismantle the drainage system and restore a portion of the Subject Property consisting of approximately thirty acres to its prior wetlands conditions and made the requirements of the Consent Decree binding upon transferees of the wetland property.

Plaintiff complied with the Consent Decree by eliminating the drainage system and now alleges that, as a result, a substantial portion of the Subject Property is permanently unusable by him for his farming operation and at least thirty acres have been taken for public purposes for public benefit and use, without just compensation.

DISCUSSION

I. Standard of Review

The instant matter comes before the court on the defendant’s motion for summary judgment. Summary judgment is appropriate when there are no genuine issues of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judg-[276]*276merit as a matter of law. See Rule 56(c) of the Rules of the Court of Federal Claims (RCFC); Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 247, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). The moving party bears the initial burden of establishing the absence of any disputes of material fact. See Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, All U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct.

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Bluebook (online)
48 Fed. Cl. 272, 31 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 20300, 51 ERC (BNA) 2073, 2000 U.S. Claims LEXIS 248, 2000 WL 1782210, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brace-v-united-states-uscfc-2000.