Army Corps proposes easing Gulf wetlands rule

[intheflow]

Army Corps proposes easing Gulf wetlands rule
Anger greets plan to let developers skip permits to speed Katrina recovery
By Mike Stuckey

Federal wetlands regulators have dropped a bombshell on environmentalists with a little-publicized proposal to relax restrictions on filling in certain wetlands along the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast to speed recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

“It’s unethical, illegal, immoral, unsustainable and they’re simply doing it to make the fat cats richer faster,” said Derrick Evans, executive director of a Gulfport, Miss., community group that plans to fight the proposal by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

(snip)

Evans said his group’s chief concern when it comes to filling in wetlands is the potential for flooding. “People died unnecessarily in my watershed because of the Corps’ previous willingness to develop housing in places where housing does not belong," he said. “Floodwaters that instead would have been dispersed ended up in my mother’s living room, 4 miles from the beach.”

(snip)

Chubb said he was surprised he had not heard of the plan because he deals frequently with Corps officials and prides himself on staying abreast of all such issues. Reed also was surprised to first learn of the proposal from MSNBC.com, especially since she sits on an environmental advisory board to the Corps. Her fellow board member, Kenneth Babcock of Ducks Unlimited, also had not seen the Corps proposal until it was e-mailed to him, but he said the panel has a national focus and the Mississippi proposal appeared to be “more regional in nature” and appeared to adequately balance environmental concerns with economic ones.

(snip)

Much, much more at link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15305378/

I know Derrick Evans, and his organization Turkey Creek Community Initiatives, very well. Derrick is also respected as a leader in the national environmental movement. For example, he just had Bobby Kennedy, Jr. down to tour the area two weeks ago.

Derrick is working on a plan with the North Gulfport Community Land Trust that would look at infill housing--that is, identify vacant lots that didn't flood, buy them at fair market prices and build homes there. This plan is viable, there are many, many empty lots, some large enough for small housing complexes.

But having been caught with their pants down a year after the storm with no plans for affordable housing, the Army Corps wants to do something just to show they're doing something. This rush to fill in wetlands is just more of the shit we're putting up with in South Mississippi post-Katrina!
:banghead:

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. Well, find out who the Republican shills are in the U.S. Army Corps.

You all know how this works. Obviously, someone was appointed by Bush.

[XemaSab]

2. That is the shittiest idea I have ever heard

and they are going to get the pants sued off of them.

Obviously someone missed the "ecological functions of wetlands" lecture in ecology... and intro to soils... and forest and range soils... and wetland soils... and intro to natural resources planning... and intro to watershed... and geomorphology... and I am probably forgetting a few classes.

One of the major functions of wetlands is to serve as a storage and buffer area in the event of flooding. This will just make the next flood that much worse.

[intheflow]

3. Well, these are the same Corp of Engineers that built those great

levees in NOLA. So it's probably just that we're confused and don't understand their logic or engineering prowess. :sarcasm:

[alfredo]

4. Incredibly stupid

[GoddessOfGuinness]

5. Stupid fuckers.

They're losing over 25 sq miles a year because of wetland depletion.