Future Seen in the Crystal River

What began five years ago as a local controversy has reached the national spotlight. While Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency are calling for increased delegation of the Clean Water Act §404 to the states, the EPA has intervened in a case in Michigan- the only state so far to receive authority to carry out its own §404 program. Although a small area of wetlands is at issue, the clash between Michigan wetlands proponents and a condominium developer has escalated and now involved many conservation groups, a state governor, a U.S. senator, and William Reilly, the administrator of the EPA. Sure to affect wetlands statutes and policies at both the state and federal levels, the Crystal River wetlands permit controversy will be watched closely as it moves towards resolution.