06-28-2018, 10:04 AM
How much does ownership of the land have to do with it? I mentioned previously that if this eruption and flow had happened within the park boundaries viewing areas would have been set up quickly. But the park is all federal land. This eruption and flow is happening mostly on private property and, lava or not, those people still own their property. What kind of legal challenges does this present? Are the people who own the land where the lava is erupting and flowing entitled to royalties for any monies made on the viewing of their property? Photos sold? T-shirts with a photo image?
On the other hand, are the people who own the eruption site liable for any damage that "their" lava does downhill? I'm not really serious of course, but my point is that ownership of the land could be a huge factor, and the litigious society that we live in makes it even more complicated. HVNP doesn't have to deal with this.