Title 16, ConservationRelease 119-110

§3932 Reports to Congress

Title 16 › CHAPTER 59 — WETLANDS RESOURCES › SUBCHAPTER IV — WETLANDS INVENTORY AND TREND ANALYSIS › § 3932

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary, working with the Secretary of Agriculture, must make and send two reports to congressional committees. One report is due March 30, 1987, and it covers the status, condition, and trends of wetlands in the lower Mississippi alluvial plain and the prairie pothole regions. The other report is due September 30, 1987, and it covers wetland trends in all other U.S. areas. Each report must explain why wetlands are lost, damaged, protected, or improved. It must review federal laws, rules, spending, financial aid, and tax rules that either hurt or help wetlands. The reports must list federal spending tied to wetlands and describe who owns wetlands. They must study the environmental and economic effects of stopping or of not stopping future federal spending and assistance that affect wetlands, with examples like public works, farm support and commodity programs, soil conservation, certain tax rules, normal forestry work, water projects, and public road construction. Finally, the reports must give conservation recommendations and compare options by states, the federal government, and private groups.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §3932

Conservation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In general

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)Contents of reports

The reports required under subsection (a) shall contain— (1)

(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

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110