Pataki pushes more protection for smaller wetlands

By Dan Shapley Poughkeepsie Journal April 24 , 2005

ALBANY -- Gov. George Pataki submitted a bill to the Legislature Friday that would expand the state's jurisdiction over wetlands -- the ponds, bogs and swamps that filter pollutants from water, help blunt floods and provide habitat to wildlife.
The Department of Environmental Conservation currently requires permits for any activity that disturbs wetlands greater than 12.4 acres. The new law would expand that to smaller wetlands that had been protected by the federal government before legal and policy actions in recent years.
The Army Corps of Engineers no longer considers projects that affects small wetlands isolated from navigable waters.
''We must continue to be vigilant in efforts to safeguard important drinking water supplies and support critical habitats,'' Pataki said in a prepared statement. ''This legislation will ensure that smaller, isolated wetlands are properly protected under state law, and that they remain valuable environmental assets for local communities.''
Permit fees for disturbing wetlands will range from $50-$900, depending on the size of the project, and maximum fines for violations would increase from $3,000 to $10,000. Fees will be used to pay for staff to administer the program.
Environmental groups have applauded the proposal, and it's been watched closely in some mid-Hudson Valley communities. Several towns have enacted new wetlands protection laws, in part because of waning federal protections. Several, including New Paltz, are now considering them.
A U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service study showed as much as 66 percent of the 3,445 wetlands on 143,000 acres centered around Millbrook could be called isolated.
-- Dan Shapley
Copyright © 2005, Poughkeepsie Journal .

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