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A FAIR, FLEXIBLE, AND EFFECTIVE APPROACH 



• To increase tairness In the wetlands permitting process, the Corps will establish 

 an administrative appeals process so that landowners can seek recourse short of 

 going to court; 



•• To increase fairness and efDciency in the wetlands pem-Itting process, the Corps 

 will establish deadlines for wetlands permitting decisions under the Clean Water Act; 



• To reduce uncertainty for American farmers, yesterday the Corps and EPA issued 

 a final regulation ensuring that approximately 53 million acres of prior cooTerted 

 cropland — areas which no longer exhibit wetlands characteristics — will not be 

 subject to wetlands regulations; 



• To reduce duplication and inconsistency for American farmers, the Soil 

 Conservation Service will be the lead Federal agency responsible for identifying 

 wetlands on agricultural lands under both the Clean Water Act and the Food 

 Security Act; 



• To close a loophole that has led to the degradation and destruction of wetlands, 

 yesterday the Corps and EPA issued a Gnal regulation to clarify the scope of 

 activities regulated under the Clean Water Act; 



• To emphasize that all wetlands are not of equal value, yesterday EPA and the 

 Corps issued guidance to field staff highlighting the flexibilify that exists to apply 

 less vigorous permit review to small projects with minor environmental impacts; 



• To ensure consistency and fairness, the Army Corps of Engineers, the 

 Environmental Protection Agency, the Soil Conservation Service, and the Fish and 

 Wildlife Service will all use the same procedures to identify wetland areas; 



• To increase the predictability and environmental effectiveness of the Clean Water 

 Act regulatory program and to help attain the no overall net loss goal, the 

 Administration endorses the use of mitigation banks; 



• To reduce the conOict that can result between wetlands protection and 

 development when decisions are made on a permit-by-permit basis, the 

 Administration strongly supports incentives for States and localities to engage in 

 watershed planning; 



• To provide effective incentives for farmers to restore wetlands on their property, 

 the Administration will continue to support increased funding for the USDA's 

 Wetland Reserve Program; and 



