INLAND BAYS WASTEWATER FACILITY
Central to the Libertarian philosophy is respect for individuals and individual rights, including individual rights to property. One important property right is the right for others not to damage their property, including the environmental quality of that property. In an ideal Libertarian society, accessible court systems and well established precedents would delineate clear boundaries preventing large corporations from infringing on the rights of household property owners, but we do not inhabit such a world. As an imperfect mechanism of protecting these rights, these corporations must apply for permits from various levels of government. This permitting process should endeavor to emulate the same kind of protection for environmental property rights, but it often does not, and approval for permits essentially grants a blank check to pollute neighboring properties so long as the damage fits into arbitrary regulatory limitations or at least is not discovered to have violated them.
This is unjust.
The Libertarian Party of Delaware calls on the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to ensure that the pending application for permitting an expansion of the Inland Bays Wastewater Facility meets these standards and ensures the safety and environmental quality of neighboring property owners and by extension the health of those residents.