Report to the Legislative Audit Committee on the Legislative Audit Bureau’s evaluation of wetland

¾101 South Webster StreetJim Doyle, Governor P.O. Box 7921 Matthew J. Frank, Secretary Madison, Wisconsin 53707-7921 Telephone 608-266-2621 FAX 608-267-3579 December 18, 2007 State Senator Jim Sullivan State Representative Suzanne Jeskewitz Co-Chair, Joint Legislative Audit Committee Co-Chair, Joint Legislative Audit Committee 15 South, State Capitol 314 North, State Capitol Madison, WI 53707 Madison, WI 53707 RE: Wetland Audit Report Follow-Up Dear Senator Sullivan and Representative Jeskewitz: We value this opportunity to take an in-depth review of our wetland permit program with your committee and the Legislative Audit Bureau. The results of this evaluation show Wisconsin’s wetland protection program balances landowners needs well with protection of our state’s valuable wetland resources. The audit evaluated the program from 2001-2006. Over this time period, data shows the following: • People now receive their permits in half the time they used to. • We approve the vast majority of projects – only 4.4% are denied. • Our wetland permit program has cut annual wetland loss by two-thirds. The report includes several recommendations and additional areas to investigate for further improvement of Wisconsin’s wetland regulatory program. We continue to strive for improvement and are already implementing several report recommendations. In addition to the report recommendations, we are requested to report back to your ...