Governor Cooper’s move to protect and restore wetlands welcomed after legislature’s removal of protections

Legislative removal of wetlands protections increases flood risks, endangers North Carolina communities and fisheries

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—The Southern Environmental Law Center welcomed today’s announcement of targets to protect and restore wetlands by Governor Cooper after the North Carolina legislature stripped state wetlands protections, increasing flood risks and endangering communities and fisheries. In its 2023 session, the majority of the North Carolina legislature voted to take away protections for millions of acres of wetlands that buffer our communities from increasingly intense storms and floods, act as natural pollution filters that improve our water quality, and protect wildlife as well as fish and shellfish for fisheries.

“The governor’s action today recognizes how vital wetlands are to North Carolina’s people and wildlife, fisheries and flood protection,” said Mary Maclean Asbill, director of the North Carolina offices of the Southern Environmental Law Center. “North Carolina’s legislature set the wrong example by failing to protect our wetlands, increasing the risk of flooding to our communities and endangering North Carolinians and fisheries.”

In the Neuse and Cape Fear River basins alone, about one million acres of wetlands are now at risk of pollution and destruction due to the actions of the state legislature, according to an analysis by the Southern Environmental Law Center. In an effort to lessen the damage from that legislative action, the Cooper administration set targets to protect one million acres of wetlands and restore one million acres of wetlands as well as plant one million trees which may counteract urban heat island affect.

“We’re glad that Governor Cooper is taking action to blunt the harm caused by the reckless North Carolina General Assembly in taking away wetlands protections,” added SELC Senior Attorney Julie Youngman.

When it rains, wetlands act like natural sponges that absorb flood waters, lowering flood levels and slowing the rise of waters downstream—a life-saving combination. A one-acre wetland can typically store about one million gallons of water, so when developers and industry destroy wetlands, communities lose flood protection. The General Assembly’s stripping wetlands protections will worsen the effects of floods, which take lives and cost millions of dollars in property damage and lost business, for North Carolinians for years to come.

In the Southeast, nearly all of the commercial catch and over half of the recreational harvest are fish and shellfish that depend on wetlands. North Carolina’s wild-caught seafood industry contributes nearly $300 million in value and 5,500 jobs to the state’s economy.

Wetlands are home to waterfowl and other wildlife that draw tourists and hunters from across North Carolina and the country. The economic benefits of hunting and fishing are especially pronounced in rural areas, where money brought in during fishing and hunting seasons can keep small businesses operational for the year.