Via Audubon:

Corps Nationwide Wetlands Permit Alert

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has proposed reissuing and modifying 44 nationwide wetlands permits and adding six new nationwide permits. Additionally, the Corps has edited 27 general conditions. The cumulative effect is a weakening of existing regulations, which could lead to loss of important wetlands and bird habitat. Your comments on these proposed changes are needed today.

The Corps’ existing 100-year floodplain general condition has been gutted, leaving only local and state requirements to restrict development in these sensitive areas. The Corps previously independently safeguarded these areas. Under the new condition, if there are no state or local requirements, development would be wholly unrestricted in these floodplains.

Additionally, a new permit would allow for discharges of dredged or fill material resulting from surface coal mining into waters of the United States. The cumulative effect of these permits could result in large-scale destruction of waters and streams in Appalachia.

Many birds on the Audubon Watchlist, such as the Swainson’s Warbler, Canada Warbler, and Kentucky Warbler, depend on small streams in the Appalachians for food and nesting. Productive streams are the primary food source for these birds. Additionally, these birds nest within the low vegetation surrounding these streams. Eliminating this food source and habitat would jeopardize these already depleted species.

Please ask the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers to protect wetlands and associated habitat. Ask them to reconsider re-issuing and modifying these permits and general conditions. Send in your comments today.

———

Tagged: environment environmentalist environmentalism action+alerts Army+Corps+of+Engineers Audubon wetlands

Share and Enjoy

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 22nd, 2006 at 4:23 pm and is filed under Action Alerts, Environmental Issues, from Audubon. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.