The future looked bright: The Clinton administration had promised to replace a harmful wetlands destruction permit with a more ecologically sensitive one.
But on July 1, when the Army Corps of Engineers released the proposed replacements for Nationwide Permit 26 - the approval system for filling and draining wetlands - the outlook turned bleak.
"These new rules would mean a Roman holiday for mini-mall developers, mining companies, golf-course designers and anyone else who wants to fill wetlands," said Kathryn Hohmann, director of the Club's Environmental Quality Campaign.
For starters, NWP 26 previously allowed the filling of "isolated or headwater" wetlands; under the new rules, filling is expanded to all "non-tidal" wetlands, including wetlands that surround rivers, lakes and streams.
Also, as long as developers say their projects are "master planned," they could fill up to 10 acres of wetlands for strip malls and office parks - without public notice.
"The wetlands program would be worse by a factor of three, because under the old program developers could only destroy three acres at a crack," said Robin Mann, chair of the Wetlands and Clean Water Campaign Steering Committee. "And because the new rules would apply to more kinds of wetlands, the public would be written out of more projects. Your neighbor could seek a permit to fill a wetland next to you, and you wouldn't even know about it."
The harmful effects of these and other pro-development allowances will supposedly be held in check by letting local entities adopt regional conditions- restrictions on permits to certain watersheds, types of wetlands or times of year.
"In other words," said Hohmann, "the Corps is trying to lessen the outcry over the new nationwide permits by attempting to channel the public's energy toward safeguarding their local resources."
To Take Action: The White House has to decide whether to heed the public's outcry and change the permit proposal drastically, or renege on its Clean Water Action Plan commitment to protect wetlands. Call Vice President Gore at (202) 456-2326; e-mail vice-president@whitehouse.gov Urge him to stop the proposed new wetlands destruction permits.
http://www.sierraclub.org/planet/199807/wetland.asp
Up to Top
|
