Angelo Tsakopoulos
Encyclopedia
Angelo Tsakopoulos is a prominent real estate developer in Sacramento, California
and the founder and owner of AKT Development. Tsakopoulos was fined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency
for a violation of the Clean Water Act
. Tsakopoulos sued the government and was able to bring his case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
From the Association of State Wetland Managers:
Interestingly enough, Justice Anthony Kennedy
had to recuse himself from the case because of his acquaintance with Tsakopoulos and only eight justices were left deciding the case. The ruling turned out to be a 4-4 tie. Because of the tie, the ruling against Tsakopoulos by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals was automatically affirmed.
In 2002, Tsakopoulos purchased a 70,000 volume collection on Hellenistic civilization
and donated it to the library of California State University, Sacramento
where it is available for use by the communityhttp://www.csus.edu/pubaf/journal/fall2002/18Tsakopoulos.htm.
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
and the founder and owner of AKT Development. Tsakopoulos was fined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
for a violation of the Clean Water Act
Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Commonly abbreviated as the CWA, the act established the goals of eliminating releases of high amounts of toxic substances into water, eliminating additional water pollution by 1985, and ensuring that...
. Tsakopoulos sued the government and was able to bring his case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
From the Association of State Wetland Managers:
- "The case grew out of Tsakopoulos' preparations to subdivide part of the 8,350 acre (3,379 hectare) Borden Ranch into apple orchards and vineyards. He used a method of soil preparation called deep plowing or deep ripping to loosen the clay subsurface of nearly 1,000 acres (4,000 hectars) so that the roots of deep-growing trees and vines could penetrate. During the course of that work, about 2 acres (0.8 hectares) of wetlands also were plowed, although to lesser depths."
- "But Tsakopoulos argued that normal farming practices, including deep plowing, were excluded specifically from the Clean Water Act."
- "The government said that was true only if the plowing did not change the character of the farmland."http://www.aswm.org/wbn/archive/02/021231b.htm
Interestingly enough, Justice Anthony Kennedy
Anthony Kennedy
Anthony McLeod Kennedy is an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, having been appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. Since the retirement of Sandra Day O'Connor, Kennedy has often been the swing vote on many of the Court's politically charged 5–4 decisions...
had to recuse himself from the case because of his acquaintance with Tsakopoulos and only eight justices were left deciding the case. The ruling turned out to be a 4-4 tie. Because of the tie, the ruling against Tsakopoulos by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals was automatically affirmed.
In 2002, Tsakopoulos purchased a 70,000 volume collection on Hellenistic civilization
Hellenistic civilization
Hellenistic civilization represents the zenith of Greek influence in the ancient world from 323 BCE to about 146 BCE...
and donated it to the library of California State University, Sacramento
California State University, Sacramento
California State University, Sacramento, popularly known as Sacramento State, is a public university located in the city of Sacramento, California. It is part of the California State University system...
where it is available for use by the communityhttp://www.csus.edu/pubaf/journal/fall2002/18Tsakopoulos.htm.