William Tauzin: “I want Members to know a little bit more about Mr. Bowles. Mr. Bowles was a member, in fact an officer of a conservation…”

“I want Members to know a little bit more about Mr. Bowles. Mr. Bowles was a member, in fact an officer of a conservation group in Brazoria County, TX. He was one of the good guys. The group was designed to watch the Corps of Engineers so it did not give permits it should not give out. He was a member of the Texas Nature Conservancy, a good guy. He bought a lot in Brazoria County in a subdivision in 1980. In 1984 when he came to build on that lot, he was told he needed a 404 permit from the Corps of Engineers, a wetlands permit. In 1984, the corps denied him the right to build on his lot even though neighbors had built up next to him all around that subdivision. He then filed suit in the Court of Claims. Ten years later, in March 1994, Mr. Bowles was finally awarded a judgment against the Government of the United States for the value of his lot. For 10 years our Justice Department, our Government, our Justice Department, fought him in court day and night telling the court we should not have to pay him or if we had to pay him, we should pay him some diminished value of his lot, something like what it was worth after the Government regulated it.”