169 



conliihiiliDii Id llic ()\crall tioiil ol prcscr\iiii;, pri)lcciiiii; ;iikI 

 icsii)i"ini: luir luilioii's wcllainls. 



U.K. 3463 would, like Ilk. 350, linally ensure that the majoritv o\' 

 aelivilies thai destroN and de<:rade wetlands would he explicitly 

 reeidatetl by the Clean Water Act. It would expand the scope ol 

 regulated acli\ities lo include (.iraining, dredging, excavating, 

 channeli/alion, llooiling, pumping, driving ol' pilings, placement of 

 ohsliuction, mechani/ed land clearing, ditching, diversion ol water, 

 and other actions thai destroy or degrade wellands and other waters. 

 By pro\iding comprehensive |M"oteclion lor wetlands, this provision 

 would lurther ihe goal to "restore and maintain the chemical, 

 physical and biological integrity ol the Nation's waters." 



The -Studds/de la (Jar/a bill vsoukl end the spurious debate about the 

 wellands protection mandate by clarilying ihat it is national policy lo 

 "protect Ihe cpiantity and quality of Ihe Nation's remaining wetland 

 base and restore wellands that have been degraded." The bill also 

 strengthens ihis mandate by adding congressit)nal findings ol ihe 

 economic and ecological lunclions and values wetlands provide, and 

 by incorporating the regulatory definition ol wellands into the Act. 



The bill will help increase awareness ol wetlands in a number ol 

 ways. It will ensure thai wetlands delineations will be based on 

 good science by forbidding changes lo the 1987 Corps manual until 

 the NAS sludy is issued, except changes to reflect regional variations 

 (and these interim changes must be reviewed after the NAS study is 

 issued). In addition, H.R. 3465 provides funding to slates to assist in 

 the development in wetlands conservation plans (thai map wellands 

 and encourage consideration of wellands in land use planning), 

 establishes a wetlands delineator training program, and an education 

 and outreach program. 



Finally, the Sludds-de la Gar/a bill addresses many of the agriculture 

 community's concerns. It exempts prior converted cropland (pc) 

 from regulation, but it adopts a scientifically defensible definition of 

 pc areas. The bill also adds haying, grazing, fence building, and 

 aelivilies associated with cranberry farming to the list of statutory 

 exemptions from §404 regulation. Like H.R. 350, the Studds/dc la 

 Garza bill exempts certain artificial wetlands from regulation, such as 

 irrigation ditches in uplands. Significantly, H.R. 3465 also transfers 

 responsibility for wetlands delineations on agricultural lands to SCS 

 and adjacent nonagricultural lands. The bill defines agricultural 



