Current MWAC Newsletter
November 12, 2009
In This Issue:
- HELP PROTECT AMERICA’S WETLANDS PETITION
- REPORT: EPA WETLAND ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS HAVE GAPS
- GREAT LAKES RESTORATION INITIATIVE SIGNED INTO LAW
- RAE NATIONAL CONFERENCE - CALL FOR PAPERS
HELP PROTECT AMERICAS WETLANDS PETITION
The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) are circulating a petition to Help Protect America's Wetlands. TRCP is working with Clean Water Network and others to generate support for the Clean Water Restoration Act, which will protect all waters and wetlands of the U.S.
Our nation's wetlands, streams and other waters are in critical need of federal Clean Water Act protection. As mentioned on TRCP's website, development and draining are resulting in the loss of an average of 80,000 acres of wetlands each year. That is why TRCP has a goal of getting 80,000 signatures on the petition. They plan to present the petition to President Obama. If you are interested in signing on please click on the following url link: http://www.wearewetlands.org
EPA WETLAND ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS HAVE GAPS
The EPA’s Inspector General released a report on October 27th that suggests the EPA has insufficient ability to identify Clean Water Act Section 404 wetland violations. In summary, the report found that “EPA lacks a systematic framework for identifying the §404 violations for which it is responsible under a 1989 Memorandum of Agreement. Primarily because of its limited field presence related to §404 violations, EPA identifies violations through a passive, reactive method of relying on complaints and referrals from external sources. An incomplete national data system and sporadic coordination with federal and State partners further impair EPA’s ability to maintain an effective §404 enforcement program.
EPA must develop a framework that includes a §404 enforcement strategy that includes such elements as: increased communication/coordination with enforcement partners, a system to track repeat and flagrant violators, performance measures, and cross-training. Without an effective framework or strategy, EPA cannot be assured that it is sufficiently protecting wetlands and other surface waters from §404 violations involving dredged or fill activity. Further, the current system does not provide EPA with the necessary inputs to make informed decisions about the allocation of resources for §404 enforcement.”
Click here to access the full report.
GREAT LAKES RESTORATION INITIATIVE SIGNED INTO LAW
On October 30, President Obama signed the Interior and Environment Appropriations Act of 2010. Included in the bill is a historic $475 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The initiative invests in solutions to some of the most serious threats to the region, including invasive species, nonpoint source pollution and toxic sediments and will restore wetlands and other habitat.
Also included in the Interior and Environment Appropriations Act:
- $2.1 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund
- $1.38 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund
- $157 million for direct grants to communities for water infrastructure
- $385 million for programs that address global climate change
- $605 million for Superfund activities
- $50 million for the Puget Sound
- $50 million for the Chesapeake Bay $
- 7 million for the San Francisco Bay
RAE NATIONAL CONFERENCE - CALL FOR PAPERS
Restore America's Estuaries Announces Call for Dedicated Sessions, Presentations, and Posters Restore America's Estuaries is pleased to announce the Call for Dedicated Sessions, Presentations, and Posters for the 5th National Conference on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration--Preparing for Climate Change: Science, Practice, and Policy.
The Conference will be held November 13-17, 2010, at the Galveston Island Convention Center, Galveston, Texas.
The overarching theme for the Conference is "Preparing for Climate Change: Science, Practice, and Policy." Every aspect of restoration will be affected by climate change. Because of its power to effect change, restoration can be a key element on an adaptive or mitigating strategy in facing climate change that cuts across all disciplines. As such, the topic of climate change will be interwoven throughout the Conference and will serve as a unifying element.
The Conference Program will address all aspects of coastal and estuarine habitat restoration, in all habitats, at all scales, and all regions. Habitat restoration--the manipulation of the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics of a site with the goal of returning self-sustaining natural or historic structure and functions to former or degraded habitat--offers great promise for reversing the trend of habitat loss and degradation, and is a crucial component of comprehensive ecosystem restoration, protection, and management.
The Conference is an international gathering encompassing all disciplines within the coastal and estuarine habitat restoration community. Restore America's Estuaries will work with 200 partnering and supporting organizations to develop and host the Conference. We expect 1,000 attendees from all sectors of the restoration community.
Deadline for Sessions, Presentations, and Posters: March 2, 2010.
For more information and to submit a proposal, visit: http://program.estuaries.org.