Stripping wetland protections to have consequences, intended or not

Construction work has filled Wisconsin wetlands at a quickened pace since 2012 when a law was enacted that loosened regulations while requiring builders to minimize the damage they do, data reviewed by the Wisconsin State Journal show.

Over the same five years, demand for state permits allowing wetland elimination accelerated even more rapidly.

Now, two leaders of the Republican-controlled state Legislature are trying to repeal the law’s provisions that force builders to adapt site plans to reduce or avoid damage to the watery resources that prevent floods, purify ground water and nurture wildlife.