[wisb] Wetland Bill Released: Your Help Urgently Needed
- From: "Cathy Gagliardi" <patcatgags@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "WIBird" <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2012 15:18:33 -0600
January 6, 2012
The long awaited wetland regulatory reform bill was
released on Tuesday. While we believe the authors made a good-faith effort
to balance competing interests, we are disappointed to report that the bill
contains several policy changes that fundamentally weaken wetland
protections. The bill also contains a number of positive provisions that we
support; however, the harm that will come vastly outweighs the good. For
this reason Wisconsin Wetlands Association (WWA) strongly opposes this bill
as drafted.
Highlights of our concerns include:
1.. The bill fails to clearly state that impacts to
exceptional wetland resources (e.g., high quality, rare, historically
intact) will be discouraged. As a result, no wetland is off-limits.
2.. The bill eliminates a critical requirement that
developers consider alternative sites that do not contain wetlands.
3.. The bill requires consideration of mitigation too
early in the permit review process. This will allow wetland mitigation to be
used as justification for wetland fill.
Our concerns with the bill are outlined in this memo which
will be distributed to legislators today. As you'll see, we have offered
constructive recommendations for how to amend the bill to address each
concern.
Your help is urgently needed to help us convince Wisconsin
legislators and Governor Walker that these changes will irreversibly harm
wetland resources and do not have the support of Wisconsin's citizens. A
hearing is scheduled for Tuesday in the Assembly and tentatively set for
Thursday in the Senate (details below). Whether you endorse WWA's
recommendations or have ideas of your own, we need as many people there in
support of wetland conservation as possible.
This bill is repairable. We will be pushing hard for
adoption of our recommendations. We believe we can get the bill fixed, but
only if you help us convince legislators that it's necessary.
Other things legislators need to hear include:
1.. Personal stories about how you use and value
wetlands and how wetlands benefit your community.
2.. Examples where consideration of alternatives enabled
projects to move forward without harming wetlands.
3.. Information about the ways wetland mitigation can
fail to adequately replace the functional values lost when wetlands are
filled.
4.. Your vision for how economic development and wetland
conservation can, and must, co-exist.
If ever there was a time to stand up for wetlands, this is
it. We will be working all weekend to call members and friends to encourage
them to attend next week's hearings. If you are able to join us on either
Tuesday or Thursday (or better yet both), please send a note to
policy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and let us know which day you will come. We are
also looking for 2-3 volunteers to help us with phone calls between 10-2
tomorrow and Sunday. If you have a cell phone, we'll ask you to bring it.
If you have questions or comments, please contact WWA's
Policy Director Erin O'Brien or Executive Director Tracy Hames at
erin.obrien@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx or tracy.hames@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx or by
calling 608-250-9971. We'll be checking messages over the weekend.
Hearing details:
Assembly Committee on Natural Resources
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
10:30 AM
State Capitol Room 412 East
Senate Natural Resources and Environment Committee
Tentative:
Thursday, January 12th (10:00 a.m.)
Room to be determined
A note about WWA's involvement in the bill development
process:
WWA had two opportunities to meet with the bill's authors.
We have been very clear from the beginning that we would support policy
changes that improve administration of Wisconsin's wetland regulatory
program and would vigorously oppose changes that weaken wetland protections.
We appreciate the opportunities we had to hear about and comment on their
plans for this bill and have made every effort to provide constructive
feedback to help them meet their objectives without violating the
fundamental wetland regulatory principles that we believe must be upheld to
adequately protect wetland resources.
Most of the recommendations presented in our bill analysis
memo were already presented to the bill's authors in December when we were
briefed on an earlier draft. None of our major concerns were addressed and,
in fact, the version released this week was significantly worse than what we
reviewed and commented on last month. This is a result of heavy pressure
from regulated interest groups including those representing manufacturers
and developers.
WWA firmly believe that economic development and wetland
conservation can co-exist and remain willing to help legislators amend this
bill in a way that honors both objectives.
Sincerely,
Erin O'Brien
Wetland Policy Director
Wisconsin Wetlands Association
608-250-9971
policy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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