NC S866

Appropriates $15,000,000 in recurring funds for fiscal year 2024-2025 to the Department of Environmental Quality to establish the Wetlands Restoration and Protection Fund for restoration projects, conservation easements, public awareness campaigns, and enforcement of wetland protection laws.

Designates $5,000,000 of appropriated funds for wetland monitoring and research initiatives in collaboration with stakeholders and research institutions to assess the health and ecological value of wetlands throughout the State.

Requires the Department to submit annual reports beginning September 1, 2025, to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources detailing fund balances, funding recipients, project descriptions, and monitoring findings.

Redefines "isolated wetlands" under state law to include wetlands confirmed as isolated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prior to June 22, 2020, and wetlands described in the North Carolina Wetland Assessment User Manual version 4.1, excluding man-made ditches and ponds for stormwater management.

Expands the definition of state-regulated "waters" to explicitly include isolated wetlands in response to the U.S. Supreme Court's Sackett v. EPA decision that limited federal Clean Water Act protections.