Reasonable Regulation

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Byline: The Register-Guard

The U.S. Supreme Court recently gave a much-needed rebuke to property-rights zealots who have long sought to roll back governments' use of environmental and zoning laws to protect natural resources.

The decision upheld a development moratorium enacted to protect Lake Tahoe from pollution, reversing a 15-year history of high court rulings that have steadily expanded private-property rights against government regulation. While the 6-3 ruling has a narrow application that deals with temporary restrictions on land use, it should nonetheless help protect the public interest against radical interpretations of the "takings" clause of the …