Question

Ralph Waters owns forested land. The Department of the Interior has declared that a small fruitfly on his property is an endangered species and prevented the harvesting of trees there. Ralph: a. cannot harvest trees. b. is entitled to compensation for a taking. c. can challenge the determination in court. d. None of the above.

Answer 1

Answer:

c. can challenge the determination in court.

Explanation:

Ralph owns a forested land which he most likely purchased for the purpose of cutting timber. If the Department of the Interior has declared that a small fruitfly on his property is an endangered species and prevented the harvesting of trees, he can challenge this in court.

This is because the land is private property and the determination by the Department of the Interior will make the land useless to Ralph. Also the government only has the ability to enforce such directives on public property.