-3- 



Focuaino public outreach and education orQ9ram« on 

 informing tha ratyulytad community about Fadaral 

 wQtlands ragulatlone. 



Revising the axlatlng Executive Order pn watlands %q 

 emphaaize wetlands atawardflhlp on Federal landa ond the 

 acoulBltlon of valuable wetlanda . The Administration 

 will revise the Executive Order to include e commitment 

 to the no net loas goal. 



Delineation Manual 



On January 10, 1989, the Environinantal Protection Agency, 

 the Army Corps of Engineers, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and 

 the Soil Conservation Service issued a joint Federal Manual for 

 the Identification and Delineation of Wetlands to address 

 inconsistenciea in practice among the agencies. The Manual 

 established the technical criteria and procedures used to define 

 e wetland. 



In response to public comments and .field hearings, the 

 Administration is sending to tha Federal Reaiater today a revised 

 Manual that will Incorporate changes to clarify the scop« end 

 application of the Manual. The revised. Manual will be issued as 

 a proposal and as guidance to the agencies; the public will be 

 invited to comment on the Manual before it Is made final. 



streamlining Wetlands Regulations and Adding riexibilitY 



Under section 404 of the Clean Water Act a landowner must 

 receive a permit from the Corps of Engineers before adding 

 dredged or fill material to a wetland. The Administration will 

 take tha following actions to improve the workability of tha 404 

 regulatory program. 



A. Streamline the Permitting Process 



To strearolina the regulatory process, the Administration proposes 

 a number of reforms to ensure more timely decisions and effective 

 coordination among agencies. These include requirements to: 



• Issue a regulatory guidance letter providing that 

 maatlnga and other interactions between tha public, 

 applicant and Federal government will be coordinated 

 through a single agency, the Army Corps of Engineers. 

 The Corps would serve as the project manager, and will 

 be responsible for all consultations with other 

 agencies on the permit applications and for determining 

 the final permit condition; 



