ARTICLES

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Mountaintop Mining and Proposed Rule Change Will Waste Clean Water Act PDF

by Daniel L. Rosenberg

The case of Bragg v. Robertson, initiated to stop the practice of mountaintop mining, reverberates beyond its original scope. The lawsuit has led the EPA and Corps to propose changes to the Clean Water Act that would redefine “fill material” and make other substantial alterations to federal regulation of water.

Daniel L. Rosenberg is an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Clean Water Project in Washington, DC.

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Protecting wetlands with Clean Water State Revolving Funds

by Stephanie vonFeck

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to spend more money to help states conserve wetlands. The agency is working to increase the number of wetland projects benefitting from Clean Water State Revolving Funds.

Stephanie vonFeck is an environmental protection specialist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She is responsible for the implementation of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund program and development of program policy and guidance.

The State of States on TMDLs

by Grady McCallie

The first part of this two-part article described some of the major challenges regarding the interaction of water quality standards and federal wetland protections. It also detailed the basic structure of water quality standards for wetlands and some points of controversy around water quality standards in the federal Clean Water Act section 404 program. This second part looks at states’ efforts to draft and apply water quality standards to their wetlands and how states are thinking about fitting wetlands into their TMDL programs.

Grady McCallie is a conservation advocate, based in Austin, Texas, who consults with state and national environmental organizations on wetlands, water, and other conservation issues.

No Nutria Is Good Nutria

by Karen Hester Abrams

The invasive-exotic nutria has spread throughout the coastal United States and continues to proliferate despite control efforts. A public/private partnership in Maryland is trying to eradicate the species with the help of an innovative pilot program.

Karen Hester Abrams is assistant regional director of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Midwest-Mississippi River Basin Region, based in Washington, DC. Her specialty is coastal and marine conservation issues in the Gulf of Mexico and the Chesapeake Bay.

Altered Landscapes: Invasive_Exotic Plants in Huntley Meadows Park

by Yeoanny A. Venetsanos

Huntley Meadows Park in northern Virginia faces an increasingly common challenge to the integrity of its natural systems-the invasion of exotic plant species. The park’s program to combat the spread of Japanese stilt grass and Japanese barberry may serve as a model for other preserves.

Yeoanny A. Venetsanos, a recent graduate of George Mason University, is the acting natural resource manager at Huntley Meadows Park in Fairfax County, Virginia.