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Wetlands regulations a good start, but not enough Army Corps of Engineers officials are to be commended for eliminating at least some of the morass of regulations developers must overcome when they encounter wetlands. More action is needed, however. Corps officials announced this week that some regulations concerning wetlands have been altered. No longer will developers have to prove that for every acre of wetlands they fill or drain they have created or restored another acre of wetlands. Instead, a more common-sense rule, that there be no net loss of wetlands in a project, will be substituted. That's good, removing as it does a substantial headache for developers while maintaining protection for wetlands. It is not good enough, however. Still on the books is a stipulation that developers must obtain permits for any project involving more than a half-acre of wetlands. That limit is unreasonable, calling as it does for regulatory involvement in development of properties as small as some lots used for individual homes. The half-acre requirement is relatively new, put in place in 2000 to replace the former three-acre limit. Wetlands rules have created headaches for developers throughout the nation and, in many cases, are more strict than needed to protect the nation's stock of wetlands and the animals that rely on them. The Corps has made a good start in making wetlands rules more reasonable, but should not stop with this week's change. |
