Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 Summary and Analysis

In Chapter 3, Rand tells the story of mike and Chantell Sackett, a couple who dreamed of owning a home on Priest Lake. After receiving the needed permits, they began moving gravel onto the site, only the be told by the EPA they were destroying "wetlands", even though their land was bordered by existing homes on all sides, and was not attached to a waterway. After pushing for answers, they were fined $75,000 a day, told to restore the site to its original state, plant non-native "wetland" plants, fence the area, and not to build for five years. The Sacketts pressed, and found that no agency had their site listed as a wetland, but the EPA continued to demand they obtain a $200,000 wetland building permit. They requested a hearing, which the EPA refused. They filed suit, arguing that they...