Corps Of Engineers Plans To Ease Development In Coastal MS Wetlands

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BILOXI, Mississippi -- A plan to ease restrictions on developing the Mississippi Gulf Coast's federally protected wetlands is under fire from critics who say the proposal would leave a region hit hard by Hurricane Katrina even more vulnerable to flooding from another storm. The plan, unveiled this month by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, would allow developers to fill in up to 5 acres (2 hectares) of "low quality" wetlands in south Mississippi without an individual permit from the Corps for each project.

The proposal, which does not affect wetlands in neighboring Louisiana and Alabama, also would eliminate a requirement that the public must be notified of such development plans. David Hobbie, chief of the Corps' regulatory division in Mobile, Alabama, said increasing the permitting limit _ from a half-acre to 5 acres _ would streamline the regulatory process in a region where tens of thousands of homes must be rebuilt after Katrina. "It cuts through some of the government red tape," Hobbie said. "That does not mean that (developers) are allowed to impact any more wetlands than we would typically allow."

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That argument rings hollow to Howard Page, conservation chairman for the Sierra Club's Mississippi chapter. Easing government oversight of wetlands projects and cutting the public out of the process isn't the solution to the region's housing shortage, Page argues. "They're solving the problem by avoiding the problem," he said.

(ED. - Stanford Environmental Law Clinic's Holly) Gordon said local environmental advocates have identified numerous sites _ at least four in Gulfport alone _ where developers are illegally filling Gulf Coast wetlands without seeking permits from the Corps. And the Corps, she claimed, has been slow to respond to complaints about these projects. "The Corps is completely understaffed," she said. "They don't have the resources or the manpower they need to inspect these sites."

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http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=11487

Well, hey, it's not like the area is prone to hurricanes or anything . . .

:eyes: