Wetlands Rules Rolled Back

On January 14, the Bush Administration announced new rules reversing Clinton-era actions to increase protection of wetlands. The new rules expand the number of projects that can be approved under nationwide general permits, which receive much less scrutiny than individual permits. The Administration and the Army Corps of Engineers defended the changes as a way of reducing unnecessary paperwork, claiming that the increased efficiency will allow the Corps to “do a better job of protecting aquatic ecosystems,” according to John Studt, chief of the Corps’ regulatory branch, quoted in

The New York Times. Environmentalists universally decried the changes, however, saying that many wetlands and streams would be lost or severely degraded as a result.