Offsetting Wetland Impacts in the United States: Policy Choices and Lessons Learned
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Transcript of Offsetting Wetland Impacts in the United States: Policy Choices and Lessons Learned
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Royal C. Gardner Chair, Ramsar Scientific and Technical Review Panel
Professor of Law and Director Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy
Stetson University College of Law
Biodiversity Offsets in Canada: Getting it Right, Making a Difference University of Ottawa, February 13, 2014
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Roadmap Offset drivers and options 2001 National Research Council report and responses Wetland mitigation banking trends The good, the bad, and the ugly
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Law as Market Driver • Clean Water Act and “no net loss” of wetlands
• Avoid • Minimize • Compensate (Offset)
• Restore, Enhance, Create and Preserve
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Compensation (Offset) Options 1. Permittee-responsible mitigation 2. Mitigation bank 3. In-lieu fee mitigation
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National Research Council report • Compensating for
Wetland Losses Under the Clean Water Act (2001)
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NAS Study Conclusion and Recommendations
Conclusion 1: The goal of no net loss of wetlands is not being met for wetland functions by the mitigation program, despite progress in the last 20 years.
Conclusion 2: A watershed approach would improve permit decision
making. Conclusion 3: Performance expectations in Section 404 permits have
often been unclear, and compliance has often not been assured nor attained.
Conclusion 4: Support for regulatory decision making is inadequate. Conclusion 5: Third-party compensation approaches (mitigation banks,
in-lieu fee programs) offer some advantages over permittee-responsible mitigation.
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Law as Market Driver Preference for offsets from wetland mitigation banks: 2008
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. EPA regulations Laws may create captive markets: Transportation Equity Act
for the 21st Century (TEA-21)
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Wetland Mitigation Banking Trends
July 1992: 46 approved banks 75% single-user banks (state
highway agencies, port authorities, local governments)
Only one entrepreneurial
bank
Source: Environmental Law Institute (2002)
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Wetland Mitigation Banking Trends
• December 2001: 219 approved banks –Over 60% are private or entrepreneurial banks
• December 2005: 405 approved banks –Over 72% are private or entrepreneurial banks
• May 2010: nearly 1,000 approved banks –Another 500 in development
Sources: Environmental Law Institute (2002 and 2006) and National Mitigation and Ecosystem Banking Conference (2010)
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Mitigation Banks in RIBITS as of 15 March 2013 Date of Approval
Brumbaugh & Martin (IWR)
189 now sold out
1308 banks
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F E W
FEW
VERY FEW
(includes Sold Out & Suspended Banks)
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Characteristics of a Successful Wetland Offset Project
Ecological success Watershed context Legal protections (e.g., conservation easements) Long-term management plans Trust fund for long-term stewardship Transparency
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Panther Island Mitigation Bank
2,778 acre (1,124 ha) site adjacent to National Audubon Society’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
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Panther Island Mitigation Bank
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Panther Island Mitigation Bank
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Panther Island Mitigation Bank
Mitigation bank land was turned over to the National Audubon Society (with a trust fund for management)
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Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Ramsar Designation Ceremony
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Wetland credits (federal and state) Highlands Ranch Mitigation Bank (FL)
Source: Highlands Ranch Mitigation Bank www.hrmb.co
Source: Tampa Bay Times http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/wetlands/article1232352.ece
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Wetland credits (federal and state) Highlands Ranch Mitigation Bank (FL)
425 state credits 70.37 federal credits
Gardner, Mitigation Banking and Reputational Risk, 34:6 National Wetlands Newsletter 10-11 (2012)
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Thank you for your attention!