Title 16 — ConservationRelease 119-73not60

§3932 Reports to Congress

Title 16 › Chapter 59— WETLANDS RESOURCES › Subchapter IV— WETLANDS INVENTORY AND TREND ANALYSIS › § 3932

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary, working with the Secretary of Agriculture, must send two reports to Congress. One is due by March 30, 1987 and must describe the status, condition, and trends of wetlands in the lower Mississippi alluvial plain and the prairie pothole regions. The second is due by September 30, 1987 and must describe wetlands trends in the rest of the United States. Each report must explain what causes wetlands to be lost, damaged, protected, or improved. The reports must list and analyze federal laws, rules, spending, financial aid, and tax rules that either harm or help wetlands, and must total related federal spending. They must describe who owns wetlands. They must analyze the environmental and economic effects of either restricting or not restricting future federal spending, aid, and tax rules that affect wetlands (for example, public works, farm programs, soil conservation, forestry activities, water resource projects, commodity programs, and construction of public roads or facilities). Finally, they must recommend ways to conserve wetlands, comparing state, local, federal, and private options.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §3932

Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary, in consultation and cooperation with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall prepare and submit to the committees—

(1)by March 30, 1987, a report regarding the status, condition, and trends of wetlands in the lower Mississippi alluvial plain and the prairie pothole regions of the United States; and

(2)by September 30, 1987, a report regarding trends of wetlands in all other areas of the United States.

(b)The reports required under subsection (a) shall contain—

(1)an analysis of the factors responsible for wetlands destruction, degradation, protection and enhancement;

(2)a compilation and analysis of Federal statutory and regulatory mechanisms, including expenditures, financial assistance, and tax provisions which—

(A)induce wetlands destruction or degradation; or

(B)protect or enhance wetlands;

(3)a compilation and analysis of Federal expenditures resulting from wetlands destruction, degradation, protection or enhancement;

(4)an analysis of public and private patterns of ownership of wetlands;

(5)an analysis of the environmental and economic impact of eliminating or restricting future Federal expenditures and financial assistance, whether direct or indirect, which have the effect of encouraging the destruction, degradation, protection or enhancement of wetlands, including—

(A)public works expenditures;

(B)assistance programs such as price support programs, commodity loans and purchase programs and disaster assistance programs;

(C)soil conservation programs; and

(D)certain income tax provisions;

(6)an analysis of the environmental and economic impact of failure to restrict future Federal expenditures, financial assistance, and tax provisions which have the effect of encouraging the destruction, degradation, protection or enhancement of wetlands, including—

(A)assistance for normal silviculture activity (such as plowing, seeding, planting, cultivating, minor drainage, or harvesting for the production of fiber or forest products);

(B)Federal expenditures required incident to studies, evaluations, design, construction, operation, maintenance, or rehabilitation of Federal water resource development activities, including channel improvements;

(C)the commodity loans and purchases program and cotton, feed grain, wheat, and rice production stabilization programs administered by the Department of Agriculture; and

(D)Federal expenditures for the construction of publicly owned or publicly operated highways, roads, structures, or facilities that are essential links in a larger network or system; and

(7)recommendations for the conservation of wetlands resources based on an evaluation and comparison of all management alternatives, and combinations of management alternatives, such as State and local actions, Federal actions, and initiatives by private organizations and individuals.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 3932

Title 16 — Conservation

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60