Opinion ID: 2333047
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 14

Heading: DelDOT Creates Necessity

Text: DelDOT argues that condemnation of the Cannons' additional property was necessary since the Corps, under the MOA's sequential review, would require wetlands mitigation for the Route 54 project on-site and in-kind, regardless of whether other State owned off-site locations were available for mitigation purposes. This argument is contrary to the MOA's express language. What DelDOT purports to be the Corps' requirement for on-site and in-kind compensatory mitigation is in actuality a non-mandatory preference. Moreover, the Corps preference for on-site and in-kind compensatory action yields in a hierarchical order whenever that preferred action is not practicable. The Corps then allows an applicant to offer compensatory action off-site in the same geographic area, if practicable. To be practicable, either on-site or off-site actions should be reasonable in terms of cost, existing technology, and logistics in light of overall project purposes, i.e., from land that the applicant already owns or could acquire from a willing seller. By selecting and submitting only the most preferred, on-site and in-kind solution, DelDOT assumed that compensatory mitigation through a voluntary sale or condemnation of the Cannons' additional property was a practicable alternative. DelDOT knew, however, that the Cannons did not intend to voluntarily transfer their additional property by at least June 3, 1999. Notwithstanding its knowledge of the Cannons' refusal to sell additional land, DelDOT applied for a permit from the Corps by offering the Cannons' property as the only mitigation site for compensatory mitigation. The Corps approved DelDOT's permit by requiring the acquisition of the Cannons' additional property prior to commencement of the project. Thus, DelDOT argues it became necessary for DelDOT to condemn the Cannons' property in order to fulfill Special Condition 28 of the DelDOT permit to fill wetlands to improve Route 54. The federal regulations specifically provide, however, that a permit from the Corps does not authorize any injury to property or invasion of rights or any infringement of Federal, state or local laws or regulations. [78] By submitting only the Cannons' additional property for wetlands mitigation, DelDOT guaranteed that the Corps would condition its grant of a permit to fill wetlands on DelDOT's acquisition of the Cannons' property. In this appeal, DelDOT has the temerity to argue that it is now necessary to condemn the Cannons' additional land for wetlands mitigation so that Route 54 can be improved. In fact, DelDOT suggests that it had the right to submit any private property anywhere in the State for wetlands mitigation and then to condemn that property if its acquisition was a condition for obtaining a permit for construction from the Corps. DelDOT operated under the assumption that the State had the absolute right to condemn the Cannons' additional property. [79] Thus, DelDOT did not offer the Corps any other State owned property for wetlands mitigation. If any necessity existed for acquiring the Cannons' additional property for mitigation purposes, DelDOT created that necessity by limiting its review to one potential mitigation site that it did not own and that the Cannons did not want to sell.