122802 U.S. Lauches Action Plan ct

December 28, 2002

U.S. Launches Action Plan to Halt Loss of Wetlands

Goal is "no net loss" of environmentally critical habitat

U.S. environmental agencies -- led by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers -- have released a comprehensive action plan to ensure effective restoration of the nation's wetlands that are lost to development. "These actions affirm this Administration's commitment to the goal of no net loss of America's wetlands and its support for protecting our nation's watersheds," EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman said in a press release issued on December 27, 2002. The National Wetlands Mitigation Action Plan lists 17 action items that the agencies will undertake to improve the effectiveness of restoring wetlands that are covered by laws such as the Clean Water Act, according to the EPA. "The plan will enable the agencies and the public to make better decisions regarding where and how to restore, enhance, and protect wetlands; improve their ability to measure and evaluate the success of mitigation efforts; and expand the public's access to information on these wetland restoration activities," the EPA said.

In a study of wetlands loss, the National Academy of Science concluded that, despite progress in the last 20 years, the goal of "no net loss of wetlands" is not being met through current federal programs to compensate or mitigate damage to wetland areas. The action plan and guidance released today, the EPA said, "were developed in response to, and are consistent with, the recommendations made in those reports." According to the EPA: "'Wetlands' is a collective term for marshes, swamps, bogs, and similar areas that filter and cleanse drinking water supplies, retain flood waters, harbor extensive fish and shellfish populations, and support a diverse array of wildlife. In performing these functions, wetlands provide invaluable ecosystem services. Consequently, their destruction increases flooding and runoff, harms neighboring property, causes stream and river pollution, and results in the loss of valuable habitat." The EPA said that, in combination with a similar wetlands program run by the Department of Agriculture, "these restoration efforts are expected to take the country from annual net wetlands loss to net wetlands gain."
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