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Show Dill limits federal control of nafcrnoy first real protection for the wetlands. "The wetlands are not protected pro-tected under present law and never have been," Garn said. "They are at the mercy of the courts. Under this amendment, amend-ment, wetlands adjoining traditionally tra-ditionally navigable waters would receive Federal protection pro-tection while the States would be free to regulate development develop-ment in wetland areas adjoining ad-joining traditionally State waters." Senator Jake Garn (R-Ut) today announced his strong support for an effort led by Senator Lloyd Bentsen (D-Tex) (D-Tex) to limit the authority of the Federal government over the nation's waterways. Garn said that under Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, the Army Corps of Engineers controls permit authority for virtually all of the country's streams and lakes, including irrigation canals and ponds. "In 1972, the Federal courts expanded the definition defini-tion of 'navigable waters'," said Senator Garn. "The purpose pur-pose was to protect the na -tion's wetlands from undue development. But by changing chang-ing that definition, they made it possible for the Corps to control normal farming and forestry activities. Congress Con-gress certainly never intended intend-ed this result and Senator Bentsen's amendment to the Water Pollution ControlAct, in. m nnn l-ii i-iii inn which is expected to come up before the August recess, would take us back to the old, more reasonable definition. It would limit the program to commercially navigable waters, adjacent wetlands and coastal wetlands. It would also exempt from the program normal farming, forestry and construction activities and all Congres-sionally Congres-sionally approved projects. I feel the amendment would alleviate the concerns of farmers and others who fear that the government will be unduly burdensome by requiring re-quiring Federal permits for activities with little or no environmental significance." The Senator said that some environmentalists oppose the amendment because they fear that the nation's wetlands would be destroyed by uncontrolled un-controlled development. He said that the fears are unfounded un-founded and that the Bentsen measure would provide the |
