Janesville Gazette: Thumbs Down

To watered-down pier rules. Go measure your living room. If you live in a nice home, perhaps it's 20 feet long and nearly 15 feet wide. Now imagine a boat pier that size, a shade less than 300 square feet.

Think it's excessive? We do. But Assembly Speaker John Gard, R-Peshtigo, doesn't.

In March, lawmakers, environmental and business groups and the governor's office reached a compromise for regulating boat docks. The deal would have exempted all piers less than 200 square feet and up to 300 square feet for structures no wider than 10 feet. But Gard's proposal erased the width specification to allow any pier less than 300 square feet. His plan, accepted by the Senate, also erases funding set aside for the Department of Natural Resources to enforce the rules. Spokesman Dan Leistikow says Gov. Jim Doyle will veto the legislation. That's good.

The public trust doctrine guarantees that our waterways belong to all people, not just those wealthy enough to own property on lakes and rivers. Reasonable piers are OK. Party platforms that infringe on your right to use the water are not.

I interpret that bolded comment as a ringing endorsement for the RKLD and our dispute with the DNR over water levels. Indeed, major portions of the Public Trust Doctrine were simply ignored by DNR during our Contested Case Hearing.

The waterways do indeed belong to all people, not just those few, very few, wealthy wetland owners & duck hunting club members.