WASHINGTON, D.C. (EPA)\u2014Swamps, bogs, fens, and marshes\u2014in short, wetlands\u2014are as vital to our environment as coral reefs and rain forests. With that in focus, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) are proposing a new rule to ensure more effective wetlands restoration and preservation nationwide. The agencies\u2019 rule, being published for public comment, proposes improved science and results-oriented standards to increase the quality and effectiveness of wetlands conservation practices under the Clean Water Act.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are accelerating the pace of wetlands restoration and conservation,\u201d said Benjamin H. Grumbles, U.S. EPA assistant administrator for Water. \u201cToday\u2019s action which emphasizes the best available science, promotes innovation, and focuses on results will help our nation meet the President\u2019s ambitious wetlands goal, while promoting flexibility and accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are focusing on a watershed approach for improving wetlands conservation in this proposed rule,\u201d John Paul Woodley Jr., assistant secretary of the Army (Civil Works), said. \u201cThis approach helps us fulfill the promise President Bush has made to protect, improve and create new wetlands and other aquatic resources.\u201d<\/p>\n
Because wetlands play such a critical role in the environment, a project proposed to be built in wetlands is first subject to review by the Corps and EPA under the CWA. Consistent with the goal of \u201cno net loss of wetlands,\u201d this review often requires a developer to restore or create a wetland to replace the one that was impacted by the project.<\/p>\n
The proposed rule:<\/p>\n
* Responds to recommendations of the National Research Council to improve the success of wetland restoration and replacement projects;<\/p>\n
* Sets clear science-based and results-oriented standards nationwide while allowing for regional variations;<\/p>\n
* Increases and expands public participation;<\/p>\n
* Encourages watershed-based decisions; and<\/p>\n
* Affirms the \u201cwetlands mitigation sequence\u201d requiring that proposed projects fully avoid and minimize potential wetland impacts.<\/p>\n
The proposed rule combines accountability and flexibility.<\/p>\n
By focusing on results and accountability, the proposed standards will improve the quality and effectiveness of wetland replacement projects. Most importantly, the proposal establishes a \u201clevel playing field\u201d ensuring that all forms of wetlands conservation satisfy the same high environmental standards.<\/p>\n
Increased reliance on innovative, market-based approaches is expected to promote the expansion of wetland banking, which is one of the most reliable and environmentally effective methods of wetland replacement. A wetland bank is a wetland, stream, or other aquatic resource area that has been restored and protected to offset permitted impacts to wetlands or other aquatic resources.<\/p>\n
Wetlands provide important environmental functions including protecting and improving water quality and providing habitat to fish and wildlife. Wetlands are also critically important areas for storing floodwaters and can reduce damage from storm surges caused by hurricanes.<\/p>\n
For more information regarding compensatory mitigation and how to provide comments on the proposed standards, see http:\/\/www.epa.gov\/wetlandsmitigation. Information about the importance of wetlands is available at http:\/\/www.epa.gov\/owow\/wetlands. Additional information about the Corps\u2019 regulatory program can be found at http:\/\/www.usace.army.mil\/inet\/functions\/cw\/cecwo\/reg\/.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WASHINGTON, D.C. (EPA)\u2014Swamps, bogs, fens, and marshes\u2014in short, wetlands\u2014are as vital to our environment as coral reefs and rain forests. With that in focus, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) are proposing a new rule to ensure more effective wetlands restoration and preservation nationwide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-99517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99517"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99517\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}