WASHINGTON -- April 22 -- Last year on Earth Day, the Bush administration touted a plan to gain 3 million acres of wetlands in 5 years. Today, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) released a report measuring the efforts since then in bringing back some of the lost wetlands.

Sierra Club Washington Representative Navis Bermudez issued the following statement:

"While we appreciate the work done to measure the nation's investment in bringing back some of the millions of acres of wetlands America has lost, we can't celebrate the gains without recognizing the losses. The Bush administration's accounting system is akin to counting all the paychecks coming in but overlooking the rent checks going out. The administration is still pursuing a policy that excludes massive numbers of wetlands from protection under the Clean Water Act. America would be better off if the administration abandoned this policy and simply protected those wetlands that have been covered under the Clean Water Act for the last 30 years."

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