Lets face it. 2005 wasn't a great year for too many of us. So many bad things happened in so many places. Many of us look forward to a happier 2006.

I also hope that our environment enjoys a healthier 2006. Wherever you happen to live and work, your are affected by the quality of your environment.

If it is healthy, you and your family have a better chance of being healthy. If environmental quality is poor, you will likely become ill. Environmental concern is not a "big picture" issue that affects others, it affects you, your home, and your family.

Unfortunately, our federal government has placed little priority on protecting our earth, water and air. We are all directly affected by this behavior. I am hoping that this too will change in 2006.

As for water, I hope that Washington begins to strictly enforce federal discharge pollution permits. No more breaks for the favored few.

Many fish that we always thought were plentiful and healthy have either been over fished or are no longer healthy. This state of affairs is directly related to federal indifference.

Think about it: some scientists suggest that people actually limit the amount of tuna they consume. That's a direct result of lenient federal environmental policies.

This is just one example. The environment is speaking to us - we must now listen.

And I hope that Washington starts to protect wetlands once again. While the states have done an ok job (certainly not a great job), Washington has not done well at all.

Wetlands are vital to our environment, providing habitat for endangered species and places for safe ground water recharge. They also help guard against flooding from over development. We have seen a lot of flooding in the news lately and when these wetlands are lost, they really are lost forever.

I hope that in 2006 we see greater wetlands protection on the federal level, as well as the state levels. These are not irrelevant swamps, they are delicate parts of our national ecosystem, found from coast to coast. We are all impacted by diminishing wetlands.

The biggest threat to wetlands are developers. Since some, certainly NOT ALL, developers tend to be prolific political contributors, many wetlands are destroyed as a result of political favors. Few people talk about this, we need to talk about this more.

Regulators simply do not have the moral right to sacrifice our earth for their own political gain. And those developers who attempt to manipulate the process need to be punished.

Washington has all but ignored air pollution problems as of late, favoring big industry over the rest of us. I guess that is not much of a problem - unless breathing makes it onto your (or your family's) 2006 wish list.

It is really a travesty. I hope that 2006 finds a Washington with a new awareness of what this really means to all of us today, and tomorrow. In fact I wonder how many more tomorrows there can be if we don't do a better job protecting our world. Yes, there are external threats, but we cannot ignore threats, such as these, from within.

As to the earth- Washington needs to fully re-fund the Superfund so that it functions, and it needs to re-organize the way it becomes involved in large scale environmental cleanups. While some states got it right and do a good job at this, Washington has yet to figure out what its role should be. America's many hazardous sites need to be cleaned and re-used -and the federal government needs to become more active and efficient in this process.

Let's face it, there is a lot on Washington's plate right now. And I appreciate that. But even before there was a lot on that plate, Washington did a bad job in protecting our environment.

Cancer rates are high. Asthma rates are high. And the federal government is not doing much to protect our environment. I believe these issues are all interrelated.

Environmental issues are as local each of us. In 2006, I hope to see promising dialogue and action on these vital national issues, of truly local importance.

The information provided in this column is written by Stuart Lieberman,a practicing environmental attorney, and is for general information purposes only. It is not legal advice and should not be used in place of legal advice.

Stuart Lieberman, Esq., and IRED.Com, Inc., will not accept any responsibilty for any reliance on the information in this column or any damages whatsoever resulting from reading this column.