NATION IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : House Approves Bill to Protect Wetlands

The House approved legislation aimed at stopping the annual loss of more than 450,000 acres of North American wetlands and rebuilding their dwindling waterfowl populations. The bill would allocate about $11 million in funds annually, in addition to $15 million appropriated in 1990-1993, for wetlands conservation projects in the United States and Canada. The Senate has not approved the measure. Environmentalists attribute the loss of wetlands largely to development drought and draining for agriculture. Among the principal target areas for conservation are the Central Valley of California.