35th Anniversary sees reversal in federal wetland protection
WASHINGTON, DC, October 18, 2007 – Waterfowl and other wildlife have enjoyed habitat protection under the Clean Water Act for more than three decades. October 18th marks the Act’s 35th Anniversary, but celebration will be tempered.
Recent Supreme Court rulings have stripped much of the Act’s capacity to protect our nation’s wetlands. Coinciding with the anniversary, both the House of Representatives and the Senate are debating ways to restore the Clean Water Act.
“Because of the success of the Clean Water Act, the rate of wetland loss in the United States has slowed. Wetlands aren’t important only to breeding and wintering habitat for ducks and geese; they recharge ground water, offer recreational opportunities, provide flood protection, and help filter pollution,” said Ducks Unlimited’s Executive Vice-President Don Young. “Federal protection of these areas is critical.”
Progress made since the Act was signed in 1972 is now being rolled-back. Two Supreme Court rulings, Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2001 and Rapanos v. United States in 2006 have left about 20 million acres of our nation’s geographically isolated wetlands at risk and 60% of our stream miles unprotected.
“We are moving toward a goal of achieving no net loss of wetlands, and there have been significant improvements in water quality and habitat throughout the country. Our hundreds of thousands of members believe that we can’t afford to let these rulings reverse this direction,” said Ducks Unlimited’s President, Bruce Lewis.
The Senate and the House of Representatives are both looking for a way to restore lost protections in the Clean Water Act—the result is the Clean Water Restoration Act recently introduced in both chambers.
According to the bills’ sponsors, the legislation does not expand the jurisdiction of the federal government, nor does it place any increased regulatory burden on agriculture and forestry. CWRA is designed to simply return the Clean Water Act to the way it had been for more than thirty years before the Supreme Court decisions, and would clear up confusion created by those rulings.
Ducks Unlimited offered testimony regarding the Clean Water Restoration Act before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in July.
“The nation’s remaining wetlands are at significant risk of loss, and the waterfowl, other wildlife, and related interests that depend upon these wetlands are similarly at risk,” said Ducks Unlimited’s National Director of Conservation Operations Dr. Scott Yaich in his testimony. “Passage of legislation is the only apparent remedy for restoring wetland protections that are at least as strong as those that existed prior to 2001.”
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wildlife-related outdoor recreation contributes $120 billion to the economy each year. Across the country, 34 million hunters and anglers depend on geographically isolated wetlands and waterways. A loss of these habitats will only contribute further to the downward trend in participation in these traditions.
Contact: Rachel Dawson, Conservation Policy Specialist
(202) 347-1530 rdawson@ducks.org
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With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest and most effective wetland and waterfowl conservation organization with almost 12 million acres conserved. The United States alone has lost more than half of its original wetlands - nature’s most productive ecosystem - and continues to lose more than 80,000 wetland acres each year.