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10-03-03
MOST RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
The 108th Congress may address various wetland policy topics. Almost two dozen bills
focusing on some aspect of wetland topics have been introduced. Congress may be
interested in implementation of wetland provisions enacted in the 2002 farm bill (P.L. 107-
17i1) and in the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (P.L. 107-304), in large-scale
restoration efforts involving wetlands (the Everglades, for example) or restoration activities
more generally, and in appropriations for wetland programs. Other events that have recently
attracted public and congressional attention include Administration issuance of revised
guidance regarding mitigation policies and announcement of possible rule changes in
response to a January 2001 Supreme Court decision limiting regulation of isolated wetlands.
These actions have been criticized by wetland protection advocates, and legislation to reverse
the 2001 Supreme Court ruling was introduced February 27 (H.R. 962, S. 473).
Subcommittees of the House Committee on Government Reform and the Senate
Environment and Public Works Committee held hearings to learn more about Administration
efforts in response to this ruling on September 19, 2002, and June 10, 2003, respectively.
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
Wetlands, with a variety of physical characteristics, are found throughout the country.
They are known in different regions as swamps, marshes, fens, potholes, playa lakes, or bogs.
Although these places can differ greatly, they all have distinctive plant and animal
assemblages because of the wetness of the soil. Some wetland areas may be continuously
inundated by water, while other areas may not be flooded at all. In coastal areas, flooding
may occur on a daily basis as tides rise and fall.
Functional values, both ecological and economic, at each wetland depend on its
location, size, and relationship to adjacent land and water areas. Many of these values have
been recognized only recently. Historically, many federal programs encouraged wetlands to
be drained or altered because they were seen as having little value as wetlands. Wetland
values can include:
* habitat for aquatic birds and other animals and plants, including numerous
threatened and endangered species; production of fish and shellfish;" water storage, including mitigating the effects of floods and droughts;
" water purification;
" recreation;
" timber production;
" food production;
" education and research;
" and open space and aesthetic values.
Usually wetlands provide some composite of these values; no single wetland in most
instances provides all these values. The composite value typically declines when wetlands
are altered. In addition, the effects of alteration often extend well beyond the immediate area
because wetlands are usually part of a larger water system. For example, conversion ofCRS-1
IB97014
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Zinn, Jeffrey A. & Copeland, Claudia. Wetland Issues, report, October 3, 2003; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs5645/m1/4/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.