Fight looms over SC Supreme Court wetlands ruling

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina developers and environmentalists are gearing for a fight over wetlands and building when lawmakers open their news legislative session this week.

The (Columbia) State reports (http://bit.ly/Ap1nZp) the question is whether South Carolina should establish a statewide permitting program for isolated wetlands, or pass a law limiting the impact of a state Supreme Court ruling.

The future of hundreds of thousands of acres of isolated wetlands is at stake.

The state’s high court ruled last summer that developers needed a state permit to fill a patch of swampy land at a country club south of Myrtle Beach. The decision set a new standard because South Carolina regulators haven’t required permits to fill isolated wetlands.

Draft legislation is being circulated to negate or limit the Supreme Court ruling’s effect.

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Information from: The State, http://www.thestate.com