How the Army Corps of Engineers turned lenient on Alaska wetlands mitigation
A review of five years of Army Corps of Engineers permits for development in Alaska wetlands showed the corps had been requiring mitigation for fewer and fewer projects.
The analysis by E&E News, a Washington D.C.-based news organization that covers energy and environment issues, showed that the corps allowed the destruction of thousands of acres of wetlands without requiring offsets for that development as it had in the past.
E&E News reporter Ariel Wittenberg dug into the details of the apparent policy shift in permitting at the Corps’ Alaska Region — for projects ranging from mines and dams, to roads and schools.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Canada wants to up collaboration with First Nations, Inuit, Métis on national parks, Eye on the Arctic
Finland: Finland needs ambitious CO2 emissions cuts to fight climate change, say researchers, YLE News
Norway: Beauty spot in Arctic Norway set to become Barents oil terminal, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: Russia adds small Arctic island to large national park, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden: High-tech lasers to help Sweden build detailed maps of all its forests, Radio Sweden
United States: Authorities agree to new wetland mitigation guidelines in Alaska, Alaska Public Media
