Landowners upset at "Shoreland Protection Act"

John DiStaso reports in the Union Leader about the growing opposition from landowners over the consequences of changes to New Hampshire's Shoreland Protection Act:

Under the current law, the Department of Environmental Services "can come on to our land 'for cause' at any 'reasonable time,' unannounced and without permission, which is certainly an invasion of privacy," Peter Rice of the New Hampshire Shoreline Coalition told the House Resources, Recreation and Development Committee.

"Here we are planting the seeds of a big brother government that is unaccountable and outside any due process."

He said fines for those who violate the Shoreland Protection Act can run as high as $20,000, which, he said, "is completely excessive and not the New Hampshire way."