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Wetlands Protection: The Scope of the Section 404 Program Remains Uncertain

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Report Type Reports and Testimonies
Report Date April 6, 1993
Report No. RCED-93-26
Subject
Summary:

The environmental benefits of swamps, marshes, and bogs--long considered fit only for draining and filling--are increasingly recognized today. Wetlands provide vital habitat for wildlife as well as improve water quality and control soil erosion. How to protect these areas has become a major regulatory issue in the 1990s. Under the Section 404 program, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is in charge of granting permits to anyone wanting to dredge and fill in navigable waters, including wetlands. GAO made several suggestions in a July 1988 report (GAO/RCED-88-110) on how the Corps could improve program management. This report discusses (1) the extent to which the Corps has acted on GAO's recommendations, (2) legislative and other developments that have occurred since the 1988 report that affect the program, and (3) the extent to which budgetary constraints have affected program administration.

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