Alaska Wetlands Are Not Different

In Alaska, the nationwide controversy over which definition should be used to determine jurisdictional wetlands takes on special importance. Not only do federal, state, and local agencies have differences of opinion over which set of criteria should be used to determine jurisdictional wetlands, but because climatic conditions in Alaska differ significantly from those in the lower 48 states, some decisionmakers are questions whether many of the state’s wetlands serve the same functions and values and there require the same protection as other jurisdictional wetlands.