Opinion ID: 2003432
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: Count V of Original Plaintiffs' Amended Complaint

Text: Count V of the original plaintiffs' amended complaint argues that SWANCC holds the balefill site property in public trust and that engaging in preliminary construction activities will violate SWANCC's fiduciary duty to the public. In support, the original plaintiffs note that SWANCC is a public agency which acquired the balefill site with public funds and thus holds this site in a fiduciary capacity for the public benefit. From this premise the original plaintiffs conclude that SWANCC cannot fell trees or engage in other preliminary construction activity which would damage the environment in the course of pursuing an unlawful goal, i.e., the commencement of preliminary, balefill-related activities without first obtaining a section 404 permit. Initially, we note once again our conclusion that preliminary construction in anticipation of procuring the necessary section 404 permit is not, per se, unlawful activity. Section 404, which safeguards standing water by requiring that such water cannot be filled without a section 404 permit, does not speak to or in any way implicate tree cutting, well drilling or any other activity that does not interfere with the standing water. Apart from section 404, the original plaintiffs do not point to any other statutes making the felling of trees or the drilling of wells unlawful. Rather, they assert that in conditioning its development permit on SWANCC's procurement of the section 404 permit, the Agency intended to preclude any preliminary construction activity until the section 404 permit is obtained. This argument, however, fails in that section 404 speaks only to the filling of waterways protected by the Clean Water Act and not the preliminary construction activities at issue. Moreover, we note that the felling of trees and drilling of wells, regardless of the underlying purpose, are not activities that require a permit from the Agency or any other local, State or Federal governmental unit. While we agree that holding property in public trust is inconsistent with engaging in a legally prohibited purpose with respect to that property, we conclude that there is nothing unlawful in felling trees and drilling wells. Indeed, it is illogical to suggest that SWANCC, which purchased the balefill property from a private owner for the express purpose of constructing the instant balefill, can then be charged with violating its fiduciary duty to the public where it fells trees and drills wells in furtherance of this goal. Thus, we conclude that count V of plaintiff's complaint is also insufficient, as a matter of law, to support enjoining such activity.