Rural System's
The Law and Justice Group
The Group is strongly affiliated with the objectives of the Appalachian Coalition for Just and Sustainability and was formed as a direct result of their action and that of their leader, Steve Owen.
Potential links LAP Local Access
Workforce development and contractual arangements for rural health, benefits, etc.
Internet and communication work with BlueRidge Development group and related regional entities.
The Objectives
The Group is led by an attorney who seeks through many techniques to:
- work closely and collaboratively with the Weatth Group
- Improve land use contracts
- improve performance contracts for rural system services
- to improve land ownership descriptions and resolve boundary issues to enhance the pride of ownership, achieve equitable taxation for real estate, and reduce trespass and conflict over apparent trespass
- to assure equitable treatment of owners of rural lands with owners of urban and related lands
- to clarify environmental impacts to rural-area private landowners before (or when) developments such as powerlines or gas lines or urban expansion with potential impacts are announced
- to prepare to resolve conflicts in farm land use (noise, odors, etc.) and new residents in suburbia
- to improve insurance claims and relief from offended property owners
- to clarify timber harvest and related land us contracts (hunting Leases)
- to clarify through publications, seminars, and writing a clear concept of rural land owner justice
- to sustain fossil energy supplies (in conflict with others seeking such limited supplies) for use in "certified-energy-efficient," essential food and fiber agricultural production systems
- to clarify "participatory democracy" as used within public land use agencies and how it is related to private lands and their management
- to aid in developing sound regulations related to rural-area cooperatives and forest and craft cooperatives
- to see relevant rules and regulations so as to implement them in reducing costs of operation of the enterprises of Rural System
- gaining information on proper rights for public use of private lands
- developing strategies for presenting opposition to offensive or high-impact developments (e.g., powerlines etc. (points, lines, areas and volumes) with computer aided map presentations ready for rapid use
- clarifying local water-use law related to ponds, stream improvement, and failures to protect waters that are used by many people other than the land owner.
- clarifying rural land in comprehensive county plans, rejecting the current assumptions that it is land held in speculation for "later uses"
- to aid in developing citizen-owned contractual relations for Rural System
- to handle scheduling and allocation of all suits brought against Rural System
- to assist the accountant(s) in preparing tax reports
- working with GIS experts to clarify land quality as it may relate to differential taxation for the private land owner
- to edit documents of The Trevey so that they are likely to be held non-offensive to the courts and sustained in court action
- to guide enterprises in securing appropriate insurance for staff, cooperators, recreational users, and others. (to include work with a fire and flood insurance recommendation project development for computer-aided decision aids for these difficult decisions)
Perhaps you will share ideas with me about some of the topic(s) above .
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Robert H. Giles, Jr.
July 3, 2005
