[PASSED] Wetland Protection Protocol

[Separatist Peoples]

Except this bit......speaks of practices (action), rather than just standards (quality).

Essentially. we have no objection with WHAMO setting reasonable standards, or even giving recommendations and assistance.

OOC: by not making the best practices mandatory, the resolution is, essentially, gutted. That will not be removed.

[Araraukar]

OOC: by not making the best practices mandatory, the resolution is, essentially, gutted. That will not be removed.

OOC: Yeah, but it means his IC protest was legit. Also, in IC, are you now Mr. Bell or Mr. Lipstick?

[Wrapper]

OOC: by not making the best practices mandatory, the resolution is, essentially, gutted. That will not be removed.

OOC: Yeah, but it means his IC protest was legit. Also, in IC, are you now Mr. Bell or Mr. Lipstick?

OOC: That's Sergeant Lipstick.

IC: We see no problems with integrating so-called best management practices. We do however note that this proposal seems... longish. Wad Ahume has painstakingly counted over 3700 characters with spaces included. Wad Ahume is rarely off by more than a character or two.

[We Couldnt Agree On A Name]

OOC: by not making the best practices mandatory, the resolution is, essentially, gutted. That will not be removed.

Not true. As long as the standards are mandatory then the resolution can still accomplish all it's goals

OOC: the difference in how nations go about meeting those standards is part of the fun. Just letting the gnomes decide would be boring.

[Separatist Peoples]

OOC: Yeah, but it means his IC protest was legit. Also, in IC, are you now Mr. Bell or Mr. Lipstick?

OOC: That's Sergeant Lipstick.

IC: We see no problems with integrating so-called best management practices. We do however note that this proposal seems... longish. Wad Ahume has painstakingly counted over 3700 characters with spaces included. Wad Ahume is rarely off by more than a character or two.

OOC: I'm doing this OOC at the moment, since my IC ambassador is in a bit of flux.

Fucking character count...I had that dialed in at 3490 last time I touched it...I think the mods don't count coding, but nonetheless, you're right. Fuckity fuck fuck...back to the drafting board...

OOC: by not making the best practices mandatory, the resolution is, essentially, gutted. That will not be removed.

Not true. As long as the standards are mandatory then the resolution can still accomplish all it's goals

OOC: the difference in how nations go about meeting those standards is part of the fun. Just letting the gnomes decide would be boring.

OOC: Not without loophole exploitation. I'd rather have this airtight than fun.

[Separatist Peoples]

OOC: Ok, I don't know if line breaks count as characters, but my word count has this down to 3494 without coding, and I hate the shit out of that limit right now.

[Araraukar]

OOC: Ok, I don't know if line breaks count as characters, but my word count has this down to 3494 without coding, and I hate the shit out of that limit right now.

Suggestions to reduce character count...

Lauding the WA’s vigilance when protecting valued natural resources;

Is this absolutely necessary? I count 68 marks as its length. I think empty lines count as marks, too, so 69 until next bit.

Accepting Aware that wetlands have a n astounding great capacity to absorb potentially catastrophic flooding and cleanse waters of dangerous pollutants;

10 marks saved.

Realizing that those the benefits that wetlands provide at no cost are often prohibitively expensive to artificially provide, and have effects that cannot be contained by national borders;

2 marks.

Horrified at the degradation of these wetlands, despite the myriad many benefits they offer;

2 marks.

Wetlands being defined Defining wetlands as terrestrial habitats whose biological and physical properties are characterized by the regular saturation of water during the growing season, and show evidence of hydrology, hydric soils, and hydrophytic vegetation;

19 marks.

It is therefore established Therefore:

18 marks.

1. The Waterbody Health and Mitigation Organization (WHAMO) shall be is established and empowered to:

6 marks.

a. Collect and disseminate information relevant to wetland study, identification, and protection;

b. Enforce best management practices for research and impact reduction on wetlands, such as jurisdictional determination, public demarcation, and post-construction monitoring;

Can't think of anything here, or not awake enough to think of alternative words.

c. Require the purchase of non-transferable mitigation credits by nations for unavoidable permanent impacts caused to a wetland during industrial development, which:
i. May be used in lieu of on-site mitigation when all other measures are proven impossible or impractical for a particular feature, and;
ii. Shall be equitably priced according to the characteristics of the wetland feature, impact, and viability of alternative methods;
d. Authorize the granting of mitigation credits to nations which preemptively construct wetland banks to offset future wetland loss, and;
e. Collect and disseminate information relevant to wetland study and protection, and issue grants and loans to non-profit entities making progressive strides in wetland conservation and research.

I've noticed that it doesn't say where the mitigation credits are purchased from, nor to where they're paid to, when used (the committee?).

2. Members are strongly urged to utilize developmental strategies and employ strategic-level assessment of their wetland resources to avoid and reduce impact to wetlands.

Is this needed? Or could it be just lumped in with #3? You could as well make it a requirement.

3. Members are required to utilize at least one of the following mitigation methods:
a. Restoration of a wetland to its pre-construction quality and characteristics;
b. Construction of a new wetland of equal quality in the vicinity to offset impact;
c. Purchase mitigation credits from WHAMO;

Can "wetland" be uncountable? If you nixed the articles, you'd save 4 marks.

4. Members shall utilize mitigation measures for impacted and damaged affected wetland area at no less than a 1:1 ratio.

12 marks.

5. Members shall adopt, at minimum, the best management standards issued by WHAMO for their development industry.

Couldn't this be added to the bits the committee requires anyway?

6. Members must require construction projects to include pre-construction environmental reports detailing the potential all possible impacts to wetlands, including secondary and cumulative impacts and possible alternatives, including a no-construction alternative, available for review by WHAMO in the event of dispute.

8 marks. The pre- part in my mind is included in the wordings "potential" and "possible". The "all" seemed unnecessary. Or if you want to keep "all", you could nix the "potential" before it instead, add the "the" after it, and save even more marks.

7. Members are strongly encouraged to incorporate and fund water management programs to assist in the mitigation of impacts and maintaining of wetland quality, as well as work with local and non-governmental entities to best meet that end.

39 marks. You're already requiring mitigation of impacts, this clause could just fund water management and maintaining quality.

8. Members may require industries impacting a wetland to assume the costs for the mitigation efforts herein required.

I'd change the places of "herein" and "required", but that's just a stylistic choice, no saving marks.

OOC: Multiple edits because lotsa coding and I need to go and get some sleep now. >_>

[We Couldnt Agree On A Name]

Not without loophole exploitation.

The only loophole I see is that nations would be free to use protection strategies that best allow them to reach the prescribed standards, This seems far preferable and far more likely to pass then forcing the adoption of whatever strategy pleases a group of unnamed, unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats.

[Sierra Lyricalia]

Not without loophole exploitation.

The only loophole I see is that nations would be free to use protection quick and dirty strategies that best allow them to reach mimic the prescribed standards, This seems far preferable and far more likely to pass crappier, more dangerous, and generally self-defeating then forcing the adoption of whatever strategy pleases a group of unnamed, unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats. is formulated by actual experts who have taken the trouble to study these things and thus know what on earth they're talking about.

Steph hands over a transcript with pen markings jotted all over it.

"Fixed that for ya, ambassador."

[We Couldnt Agree On A Name]

The only loophole I see is that nations would be free to use protection quick and dirty strategies that best allow them to reach mimic the prescribed standards, This seems far preferable and far more likely to pass crappier, more dangerous, and generally self-defeating then forcing the adoption of whatever strategy pleases a group of unnamed, unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats. is formulated by actual experts who have taken the trouble to study these things and thus know what on earth they're talking about.

Steph hands over a transcript with pen markings jotted all over it.

"Fixed that for ya, ambassador."

we think our results speak for themselves.

We'd also like to reiterate, for those just joining, that allowing nations to formulate their own best strategies in no way waives their responsibility to meet the standards set.

[Wallenburg]

Steph hands over a transcript with pen markings jotted all over it.

"Fixed that for ya, ambassador."

we think our results speak for themselves.

"Am...am I supposed to be impressed by how poorly you have sustained your environment?"

[We Couldnt Agree On A Name]

we think our results speak for themselves.

"Am...am I supposed to be impressed by how poorly you have sustained your environment?"

It's always possible to have a prettier environment, safer streets or better education. The question is what trade off you make for each. The point is even though we're a developing nation we're already well above any standard the WA is politically capable of (twice what is typical) and continuing to improve at a steady rate.

We have no interest in sacrificing all this by handing control of our environmental policy over to an organization that is as likely to undermine it for personal gain as they are to protect it.

OOC: for context the national agency responsible for the environment in my (real world)country regulatory gives favors to the influential at the expense of both the environment and basic safety, for example, issuing a permit to a uranium mining company allowing them to dump waste in an aquifer people drink from.

[Wallenburg]

"Am...am I supposed to be impressed by how poorly you have sustained your environment?"

It's always possible to have a prettier environment, safer streets or better education. The question is what trade off you make for each. The point is even though we're a developing nation we're already well above any standard the WA is politically capable of (twice what is typical) and continuing to improve at a steady rate.

We have no interest in sacrificing all this by handing control of our environmental policy over to an organization that is as likely to undermine it for personal gain as they are to protect it.

OOC: The average on that page is the world average, not the average for member nations. Also, I don't think you actually read the draft, or understand how the World Assembly works.

OOC: for context the national agency responsible for the environment in my (real world)country regulatory gives favors to the influential at the expense of both the environment and basic safety, for example, issuing a permit to a uranium mining company allowing them to dump waste in an aquifer people drink from.

OOC: Then you are not complying with World Assembly law, and you are godmodding.

[Araraukar]

we think our results speak for themselves.

OOC: 4 can play that game! http://www.nationstates.net/page=compar ... nts+United (PPU is my WA nation)

[Wallenburg]

we think our results speak for themselves.

OOC: 4 can play that game! http://www.nationstates.net/page=compar ... nts+United (PPU is my WA nation)

OOC: Holy shit, Araraukar...

[Araraukar]

OOC: 4 can play that game! http://www.nationstates.net/page=compar ... nts+United (PPU is my WA nation)

OOC: Holy shit, Araraukar...

OOC: Not sure why we had Sierra Lyricalia in that comparison; I added to Wallenburg's and didn't notice that one there.

Also Eco-Friendliness, and Best Weather, which is affected by environmental factors.

I roleplay Araraukar the way I choose issue choices, and vice versa. The only things I don't take straight from the game, are population size (I RP as having about 2 billion on an area about the size of India), and economy (which I've no idea what it should be for a Westernized version of India with that many people, I'm sorry to say).

[Imperium Anglorum]

OOC: 4 can play that game! http://www.nationstates.net/page=compar ... nts+United (PPU is my WA nation)

OOC: Holy shit, Araraukar...

HA! I win!

[Ferret Civilization]

OOC: Actually, my nation wins... At being the worst... "For the business."

[Wallenburg]

OOC: Actually, my nation wins... At being the worst... "For the business."

OOC: Pfft. You guys don't have jack on my übercapitalist puppet!

[Ferret Civilization]

"Well, with all the reports from what the WA has to say about some nation's environments and such... Seems like it just gives more reason for this resolution to try and get passed. Good luck with that, seems like this can work."

[Bears Armed]

OOC: 4 can play that game! http://www.nationstates.net/page=compar ... nts+United (PPU is my WA nation)

OOC: Holy shit, Araraukar...

OOC: Seconded.. although Bears Armed does manage to rank just above PPU...

[Separatist Peoples]

OOC: B-B-B-B-Bump! *raptor noise, possibly meant to be like a phoenix being resurrected, but practically, more like a screeching gurgle of indigestion*

I've hacked the word count to 3484 or something equally ridiculous. Which is better than 3497, where my most recent edits left it. Breathing room it may be, but its like keeping your lips above water while the rest of you treads.

[Imperium Anglorum]

I've hacked the word count to 3484 or something equally ridiculous. Which is better than 3497, where my most recent edits left it. Breathing room it may be, but its like keeping your lips above water while the rest of you treads.

Drop the passive voice and you'll be entirely fine in the character count.

[Wallenburg]

"Ambassador, how does the WHAMMO plan to enforce its decisions as to the best management practices?"

[Separatist Peoples]

"Ambassador, how does the WHAMMO plan to enforce its decisions as to the best management practices?"

"The same way all WA committees derive their power: through the gnomes."