Right there...in my opinion that's where the money will come from should this thing ever get any traction. Not from Tony, and his five ponds in Indiana. There are hundreds of thousands of small, private ponds across the country, and no current means to investigate them all, determine whether or not they are in compliance, and/or do followup visits to ensure compliance.
Bigger, highly visible concerns? Possibly. Backyard pond? I just don't see it. Could they put together a system, given enough time and resources? Probably. But by the time they get done in court, get the funding sorted out, stretch it out through numerous administrations, hire and train all the manpower, and hit the ground and eventually find my five ponds, If I'm even still around I will be of an age that it won't matter anyway.
Rex, I respect your opinion. I know you are convinced that dark days lie ahead, but can you tell me how this is going to go down? It's been my experience that in situations like this some folks are absolutely positive that danger is coming, yet when pressed for details they can't supply any. Is it a gut feeling, or do you know their game plan?
I know that some will operate on feeling, or belief, or faith,
and I will honor their wish to do so. But I'm just not much on faith these days, preferring hard facts instead. Something tangible, something seen, felt, heard. Show me the money, as they say. Follow the money.
Tony, I think it was in your first post on this thread where you said something like..."at the risk of being seen on the other side"....You're not on the other side! You state your beliefs based on your experiences and do so eloquently....with thought and intelligence! I absolutely respect your opinions and even share most of them. We've not engaged in a whizzing match, and won't. We have also not been insulting or attacked any ideas, thoughts or beliefs...merely stated those things, and tried to back them up as best we can.
Your beliefs are not wrong in any way! What my experience with government has shown is that those directing enforcement in agencies like the EPA, COUNT on beliefs like you have. Beliefs that there is nothing you can do as an individual, that if you try not rocking the boat, you'll stay off their radar, that it will take years before they work their way down to little guys like us...Maybe I am wrong in seeing that as your view on this rule...if so, I apologize.
The EPA sees deep pockets like we would see a large client. We give them "special" attention because they pay our monthly bills and we rely on them. But also like a business, those "little guys", the one time customer, THEY make us money to live better on...they allow us to go on vacation, buy our kids something nicer, to upgrade or landscape our ponds.
WE, the LITTLE guy are who the EPA is coming after. Your do not hear about it in the news, because we do not have the resources to fight the goliath of the EPA. the money is NOT in the few hundred deep pocket violators every year....the "money" is in those hundreds of thousand of little ponds they can charge any amount they want...because they HAVE to pay. Besides, as a business, you do not pay a fine or tax, you collect it from your customer to pay. We, the little guy, pay for Durham, Exxon, Shell, BP and any other deep pocket the EPA goes after in higher prices at every level of a supply chain...THEN, the EPA grabs us directly too.
Maybe we personally will not get targeted right away...does that mean it is your neighbors problem when some thief you stealing from them, something you feel they have enough of, and therefore feel no concern or need to report or stop that thief?
