WMI is not, however, willing to accept other amendments to the Clean Water Act that would result in overall weaker protection for wetlands, merely in order to add drainage and excavation to the list of regulated activities. This permit constituted the single largest and most damaging loophole in the Clean Water Act's Section 404 regulatory program, and has been largely responsible for impeding the achievement of no net loss of wetlands. WMI supports efforts to make Section 404 and Swampbuster as consistent as reasonably possible, given the fundamental differences between the programs. Regarding the topic of wetland acreage exemptions, WMI always has advocated that the Corps adopt for Section 404 the stricter Swampbuster standard. The Corps' decision to promote consistency in favor of conservation, rather than in favor of destruction, will help foster continued improvements in wildlife populations and other environmental conditions for the American public.
Suitable habitat is the fundamental requirement of all wildlife.
For example, ducks require duck habitat. During the breeding season, duck habitat consists of a mixture of small, medium and large wetlands with water, along with upland nesting cover, in the same places at the same time. If any of these habitat elements is missing, ducks and other wetland wildlife cannot survive, much less thrive. History proves that abundant duck habitat depends on federal measures to protect wetlands. Only in the last four years has the duck decline apparently been stemmed and even reversed.