Mackinson

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Homewood, Sue
From:India Mackinson <[e-mail]>
Sent:Tuesday, November 30, 2021 7:41 PM
To:SVC_DENR.publiccomments
Subject:[External] Protect NC wetlands — approve permanent rules
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US Public Comment NCDEQ,
I urge the Environmental Management Commission to approve the proposed permanent
wetland permitting rule. Wetlands and small streams control flooding downstream, and are
absolutely essential for protecting water quality, recharging groundwater supplies, and
sustaining fisheries and wildlife populations. In a time when storms are getting more intense
and flooding more frequent, losses in the landscape’s natural flood storage capacity translate
directly to loss of homes and businesses in my community.
The proposed permanent rule will establish a state permitting program that better manages
impacts to wetlands and small streams while protecting communities. The rule will also
ensure any future changes to the federal Clean Water Act will no longer create a permitting
gap for North Carolina.
I support the permanent rules threshold for wetland impacts – 5,000 sq feet, or about 1/10 of
an acre – below which impacts are automatically approved with no review and no mitigation.
However, I urge the EMC to adopt the rule to include stronger protections for wetlands that
provide habitat for endangered species and for ecologically significant wetlands. It is also vital
that any mitigation ratio be at least 2:1 to ensure that the functions provided by wetlands are
truly replaced through mitigation.
Please adopt this permanent rule so that our wetlands are protected. Thank you.
India Mackinson
[e-mail]
807 Louise Circle
Durham, North Carolina 27705

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