Compensating for Wetland Losses Under the Clean Water Act (Redux): Evaluating the Federal Compensatory Mitigation Regulation

38 Pages Posted: 9 Jul 2009 Last revised: 4 Nov 2009

See all articles by Royal C. Gardner

Royal C. Gardner

Stetson University - Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy

Joy Zedler

University of Wisconsin - Madison

Ann Redmond

ENTRIX, Inc.

R. Eugene Turner

Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge

Carol A. Johnston

South Dakota State University

Victoria R. Alvarez

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Charles A. Simenstad

University of Washington

Karen Prestegaard

University of Maryland

William J. Mitsch

Ohio State University (OSU)

Abstract

In April 2008, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency published a new rule on compensatory mitigation for aquatic resource losses. The preamble noted that an important resource in the development of the new rule was the 2001 National Research Council (NRC) report that comprehensively evaluated the effectiveness of compensatory mitigation efforts and whether they were contributing to the “no net loss” of wetlands. This article, written by nine former members of the NRC Committee on Mitigating Wetland Losses, examines how the new regulation incorporates the primary recommendations set forth in the NRC report. We consider how well the new rule addresses recommendations concerning: the watershed approach; operational guidelines and performance standards; and the treatment of mitigation banks, in-lieu fee programs, and permittee-mitigation. The article concludes with several recommendations to help with achieving the goal of no net loss.

Keywords: Clean Water Act, wetlands, wetland mitigation, mitigation bank, in-lieu fee mitigation, National Research Council

JEL Classification: K32, K23, Q20, Q25, Q28

Suggested Citation

Gardner, Royal C. and Zedler, Joy and Redmond, Ann and Turner, R. Eugene and Johnston, Carol A. and Alvarez, Victoria R. and Simenstad, Charles A. and Prestegaard, Karen and Mitsch, William J., Compensating for Wetland Losses Under the Clean Water Act (Redux): Evaluating the Federal Compensatory Mitigation Regulation. Stetson Law Review, Vol. 38, No. 2, 2009, Stetson University College of Law Research Paper No. 2009-24, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1431629

Royal C. Gardner (Contact Author)

Stetson University - Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy ( email )

1401 61st Street South
Gulfport, FL 33707-3299
United States

Joy Zedler

University of Wisconsin - Madison ( email )

716 Langdon Street
Madison, WI 53706-1481
United States

Ann Redmond

ENTRIX, Inc. ( email )

10 Coporate Circle
Suite 300
New Castle, DE 19720
United States

R. Eugene Turner

Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge ( email )

Baton Rouge, LA 70803
United States

Carol A. Johnston

South Dakota State University ( email )

2220 10th St Apt #1
Brookings, SD South Dakota 57007-0895
United States

Victoria R. Alvarez

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

Charles A. Simenstad

University of Washington ( email )

Seattle, WA 98195
United States

Karen Prestegaard

University of Maryland ( email )

College Park
College Park, MD 20742
United States

William J. Mitsch

Ohio State University (OSU) ( email )

Blankenship Hall-2010
901 Woody Hayes Drive
Columbus, OH OH 43210
United States

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