After the coup d’état of Thermidor, the new ruling elites constructed the myth of an « Environmental Terror » that had in their view characterized the preceding period. The example of MP Creuzé-Latouche, and in particular his criticism of the decree of 14 February Year II on the draining of marshes and ponds, helps to reconstruct the issues involved. In the opinion of this member of the Commission of Eleven responsible drafting a new constitution, political economy must necessarily play a central role in the republican redefinition of a defeuded “land”. To be redefined in accordance with the ideals of the regime, it would have to be topographically designed to take into account more fully the social and environmental dynamics of each locality. This would better represent the point of view of rural land owners and notables who would soon be called upon to join the body of “voters” for the future Constitution of the Year III.