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8 PROTECTING AMERICA'S WETLANDS: 



identification, mapping, and preliminary assessment of relative wetland functions within the 

 planning area. More comprehensive advance planning may identify wetlands that merit a high 

 level of protection and others that may be considered for development, and may also incorporate 

 wetlands conservation into overall land use plaiming at the local level. Advance planning can 

 provide greater predictability and certainty to property owners, developers, project plaimers, and 

 local governments. 



AdmlnUt ratlon Position: To encourage greater use of comprehensive advance planning, 

 particularly with State, Tribal, regional, and local involvement, and to identify wetlands 

 proteaion and restoration needs, opportunities, and concerns, the Administration supports 

 the following actions: 



• Provide Incentives for SuUes/Locals to Integrate Watershed and Wetlands Planning. 

 The Qean Water Act should authorize the development of State watershed protection 

 programs, which should include local and regional involvement and Federal approval of 

 the State programs. Wetlands should be incorporated into the overall watershed approach, 

 with minimum standards for wetlands protection and restoration plaiming. Approved 

 watershed plans would receive a high priority for technical and financial support for 

 aaivities such as mitigation banking, advance identification, and watershed-based 

 categorization under the Seaion 404 regulatory program. There would also be a high 

 priority given to developing Programmatic General Permits that defer to local regulatory 

 programs implementing approved watershed plans. 



• Endorse State/Tribal Wetlands Conservation Plans. Congress should endorse the 

 development of State/Tribal comprehensive wetland plans, with the goal of supporting 

 State and Tribal efforts to protect and manage their wetlands resources. EPA is currently 

 funding the development of 22 State Wetlands Conservation Plans; Congress should 

 provide EPA the authority to use its Wetlands Grants program to fund both their 

 development and implementation. 



• Provide for Greater Integration of Advance Planning Into the Section 404 Regulatory 

 Program. The Administration will support efforts to better integrate advance plaiming 

 into the Seaion 404 regulatory program, including appropriate local or watershed-based 

 categorization frameworks and regionalized improvements to implementation of the 

 existing Nationwide Permit 26 in headwaters and isolated waters. Such opportunities are 

 expeaed to grow as States, Tribes, and regional -and local governments progress on 

 watershed plans, Sute Wetlands Conservation Plans, and other wetlands-related planning 

 processes. Where State, Tribal, regional, or local governments have approved watershed 

 plans that address wetlands, EPA and the Corps will give high priority to assisting with 

 the development of categorization of wetland resoilrces for the purpose of Section 404. 

 Categorization approaches should be local or regional in nature, and reflect the full range 

 of impaas and functions that affect wetlands within the watershed or planning area. 



