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U.S. EPA Involvement
The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in
partnership with other federal agencies, and state, local, and
tribal governments, is responsible for restoring and
maintaining the chemical, physical, and biological integrity
of the nation's waters. Because of the value and function of
wetlands as an integral part of those waters, EPA is also
charged with protecting wetland resources. The major federal
regulatory tool for this is Section 404 of the Clean Water
Act, which is jointly administered by the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers and EPA. Section 404 establishes a permit
program to regulate the discharge of dredged or fill material
into waters of the United States, including most wetlands.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine
Fisheries Service have important advisory roles in the permit
review process under the Clean Water Act, and the Natural
Resources Conservation Service has the lead responsibility for
identifying wetlands on agricultural lands.
EPA recognizes that a truly effective program to protect our nation's wetlands must include supplemental approaches to the Clean Water Act, along with the cooperation of federal, state, and local agencies; developers; farmers; foresters; environmental groups; the scientific community; and the public. Active citizen support and participation is an essential ingredient of such a program.
EPA uses a number of non-regulatory programs to supplement the Section 404 program: a contractor-operated telephone hotline to allow easy access to the EPA for information about wetlands (see back cover); distribution of publications and fact sheets about wetlands; partnerships with private landowners and state and local governments; comprehensive watershed planning; education programs for the public; and support of efforts to improve wetlands management (e.g., workshops, conferences, and research). The EPA is also involved in a long-term project to monitor and assess the ecological resources of our country.
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