Enacted in 1980, the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) authorizes the payment of attorney fees to a party that prevails in its argument against the U.S. government. Translation: payment from the U.S. government equals taxpayer dollars.
Environmental groups use the EAJA to fund its propaganda by filing lawsuit after lawsuit.
According to the Capital Press, documentation found within the U.S. Forest Service Fiscal Year 2020 budget shows environmental groups received EAJA-related payouts of more than $9 million in fees and settlement awards between 2011 and 2018.
“About $2.5 million of the $9 million paid out over that period was made to groups suing to stop forest management projects,” the report states. “Environmental groups or their attorneys were awarded an average of $76,000 in the 33 forest management cases.”
Currently, approximately half of the U.S. Forest Service’s budget is spent on fighting wildfires.
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is a long-time advocate of active forest management for the sake of maintaining and enhancing wildlife habitat as well as overall forest health.
The Capital Press report comes as no surprise. Data obtained from the Department of Justice showed environmental groups filed 570 lawsuits related to the Endangered Species Act from 2009-2012. As a result, the government paid out more than $15 million for attorney fees in the form of taxpayer dollars.
(Photo source: U.S. Forest Service)