There is an article on the front page of this week’s Lincoln County News about the recently issued water level order for Clary Lake. I was interviewed at length yesterday morning by the reporter, Dominik Lobkowicz and I gather from statements in the article that he also subsequently interviewed Paul Kelley, who continues to posture and complain as if people still cared about what he thought:

Water Level Order Enacted for Clary Lake

[archived copy of article]

I have to comment on several things. First, Mr. Lobkowicz expressed surprise when I told him I thought Mr. Kelley would keep fighting this Order as long as he had the energy to do so. Surely Mr. Kelley will want to cut his losses? Well, numerous statements in the article clearly indicate that Kelley has no intention of simply “giving up” this battle even though the battle is over, and he has lost.

I also find it amusing that Mr. Kelley is still flogging the same old dead horse he was beating on a year and a half ago, an issue that was address and summarily dismissed by the Department as baseless and irrelevant, that of accusing the Department of Environmental Protection of “losing” or “hiding” a “permit by rule” that he claims to have received back in 2011. He claims this missing permit authorized his de-watering of Clary Lake and somehow invalidates the petition but oddly enough, he’s unable to produce a copy of it himself. No wonder, since his own evidence on the matter presented by him at the public hearing in August 2012 (PPM Exhibit L) shows what really happened. Read it yourself and see if you think the DEP gave Mr. Kelley a permit to drain the lake. This is not the first time I have been compelled to address this matter on these pages. It will be the last.

Mr. Kelley finds himself in a mess, brought on by himself. He abused his private property rights and as a result, the State has usurped them. It was inevitable. Give it up Mr. Kelley. You’ve lost. The Clary Lake Association stands ready, willing, and able to help you out of this mess and you know it. Do the right thing for a change.