One year ago today, John, the U.S. Supreme Court stripped protections away from millions of acres of American wetlands, potentially paving the way for them to be torn down, polluted and destroyed.
Without federal protection, states have been put in the driver's seat, meaning we now have 50 sets of state rules that can change with each election cycle.
Some states, like North Carolina, have already stripped away state-level protections, leaving millions of acres of wetlands without any protections, threatening the communities and ecosystems that depend on them.
Read about how wetlands save lives and protect communities in our Vital Signs article.
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Wetlands, like marshes, river edges and wet meadows, are incredibly productive ecosystems that:
- Provide flood protection by absorbing rainfall and storing floodwaters like a sponge, protecting nearby homes and communities;
- Act as a coastal buffer and reduce hurricane damage by slowing down storm winds and waves before they reach the mainland;
- Filter pollution out of our water, including nitrates and other agricultural runoff, and make it cheaper to provide clean drinking water; and
- Offer shelter for precious wildlife, including 75% of the nation’s commercially harvested fish and shellfish species and half of all endangered and threatened species in the U.S.
Without policy protections, millions of acres of wetlands, and the vital benefits they provide, are at risk.
EDF is hard at work trying to restore wetland protections by educating the public and decision-makers on their value and developing policy recommendations. We’re even helping rebuild the wetlands of the Mississippi River Delta in one of the largest ecosystem restoration projects ever attempted.
As climate change worsens, storms intensify and flood risks increase, we need the protection of wetlands more than ever. Learn more about wetlands and the work EDF is doing to protect them.
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