Making an Impact in the Carolinas

rick.savage • June 3, 2024

Message from the Executive Director

Greetings Wetland Supporters: 


I want to talk about a few things that the Carolina Wetlands Association is involved with that highlights the important work your organization. 


1. NC Resilience Exchange.  This site is designed to help local and state leaders understand their community’s climate resilience needs, identify appropriate mitigation actions and find the resources to implement solutions.  We were part of the design team that put together the Exchange, so check it out.  It includes a funding portal, a database of experts ready to help communities (yes, the Carolina Wetlands Association is there), a climate vulnerability map, and climate projections for your community. To learn more, attend  an upcoming webinar., pre-registration is required: 

 

2.  NC Salt Marsh Action Plan. I was asked to serve on the Steering Committee for the NC Salt Marsh Action Plan being developed by the North Carolina Coastal Federation under the guidance of the South Atlantic Salt Marsh Initiative (SAMSI).  The role of this steering committee is to find pathways and funding for the implementation of the plan. 

 

3. NC Natural and Working Lands Initiative. You may remember this initiative from a couple years ago that developed the Natural and Working Lands Action Plan. This plan laid the groundwork for Executive Order 305 (EO305) by NC Governor Cooper to restore a million acres of wetlands and conserve one million acres of wetlands.  So the Natural and Working Lands Steering Committee will start meeting again to find pathways for EO 305 to be implemented. 

 

4. Wetland Educational and Outreach Summit. I want to briefly mention this event sponsored by Carolina Wetlands Association, NC State University and RTI, International as a part of our Volunteer Wetlands Monitoring Program. Nearly 60 people from all over North and South Carolina including three tribes participated in this event.  We are really excited about this summit to bring people together to brainstorm on how to protect wetlands through education and outreach.  Check back next month for a summary of this event.

 

I hope you can see that your organization does a lot of very important work to help wetlands. In order to carry out this work, we rely on you financial support as grants do not fund most of these initiatives.  So please consider a donation to Carolina Wetlands Association so we can make our best efforts to protect our valuable wetlands in the Carolinas. 


Don't forget to go out and explore a wetland. 

Rick 

 


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Federal Rollbacks Threaten Wetland Protections: What You Need to Know About Senate Bill 5653

By rick.savage • November 3, 2026
The U.S. Congress is poised to weaken federal protection of wetlands. To understand why these changes matter, it helps to know how wetland permitting actually works. How Wetland Permitting Is Supposed to Work Whether the permit goes through the State agency (e.g. NC DEQ or SC DES which reviews water quality impacts) and/or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) and EPA (which review the physical, chemical, and biological impacts), every application is supposed to follow a three-step mitigation sequence: avoid, minimize, and compensate. Avoid. The reviewer works with the applicant to determine whether the impact can be avoided altogether. Often, it can. Minimize. If the impact can’t be avoided, the reviewer and applicant look for ways to reduce it. Compensate. If the remaining impact is large enough, the applicant must compensate for the loss using a formula provided by the ACOE. Mitigation normally takes place in the same watershed and provides the same function as the wetland that was lost. This process takes time, but it is essential. It ensures that applicants don’t overlook options that could spare valuable wetlands. What Senate Bill 5653 Would Change Senate Bill 5653 , the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (BAAJA),aims to speed up federal and state regulatory decisions on housing and other development projects. But the bill would increase environmental degradation and undermine the federal-state partnerships that protect clean water. Here is the core problem: when permitting is rushed, reviewers can’t carry out the avoid, minimize, and compensate process. More wetlands will be damaged, and there will be no way to make up for the lost wetlands and the benefits they provide. A Weak Answer to the Housing Shortage BAAJA does little to address the real causes of the national housing shortage and construction challenges. Instead, it increases pollution and works against the central goal of the Clean Water Act: to restore and maintain the physical, chemical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters, including wetlands. The bill is an assault on the nation’s rivers, wetlands, estuaries, and lakes. It also looks like a deflection from Congress’s inability to pass legislation that meaningfully tackles the lack of available housing. Undercutting State Authority Over Water Quality BAAJA also limits the authority states hold under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, making it harder for them to meet the water quality standards they have set for their own waterbodies. That would set back five decades of progress toward cleaner water, progress to which every sector of society has contributed, and it would affect generations to come. Fewer Wetlands Protected, and Weaker Review for the Rest This is yet another attack on wetland protection, and it affects all of us. Even those wetlands that remain regulated after recent jurisdictional retreats by EPA and the ACOE would not receive the normal permitting review. In practice, that means they aren’t truly protected either. What You Can Do Contact your representative. Ask your senators to oppose Senate Bill 5653 . You can find and contact your U.S. senators here , or look up your U.S. representative here to share your concerns with the House as well. Support Carolina Wetlands Association. We are your organization fighting to protect wetlands. The next time you explore a wetland or pour a clean glass of water, consider making a donation to help us keep up this work.

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By chase.bergeson • October 16, 2026
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Federal Rule Would Strip Protections from Many Wetlands and Streams

By kim.matthews • October 7, 2026
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