Year: 2005
Type: report
Abstract: MOST RECENT DEVELOPMENTSIn the 109 th Congress, legislation to reverse a controversial 2001 Supreme Court ruling concerning isolated wetlands, the SWANCC case, has been introduced (H.R. 1356, the Clean Water Authority Restoration Act).Almost two dozen bills focusing on some aspect of wetland topics were introduced during the 108 th Congress, but no significant wetlands legislation was enacted; some of these bills may be reintroduced.In addition, several wetland topics attracted some congressional interest: implementation of provisions enacted in the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (P.L. 107-304) and the 2002 farm bill (P.L. 107-171); large-scale restoration efforts involving wetlands (the Everglades and coastal Louisiana, for example); and appropriations for wetland programs.Shortly after his reelection, President Bush reiterated the policy initiative goal he first announced on Earth Day 2004, to create, improve, and protect at least 3 million wetland acres as a priority of his second term.When the President initially announced this goal, he urged Congress to pass his FY2005 budget request for wetland and other conservation programs, and endorsed efforts to both provide better tracking of wetland programs and enhance local collaboration on cooperative conservation activities.During the fall of 2004, the Department of Agriculture announced new initiatives to restore additional wetlands in agricultural areas.In acting on the FY2005 budget, Congress did not enact increases for the two wetland conservation programs for which the President had sought additional funds.
Author: Zinn, Jeffrey A.
Language: English
Subfield: Nature and Landscape Conservation
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7139628872