In-Lieu Fee Program Training Course

Sponsored by:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX

Facilitated by:
the Environmental Law Institute

September 13-14, 2011
The Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
Costa Mesa, CA

Training Course Materials

• Agenda
• Speaker Biographies
• Participant Contact Information
• Background Documents
  • Key Federal Compensatory Mitigation Regulations & Guidance, Resources, and Acronyms
  • EPA Fact Sheet on Clean Water Act §404
  • EPA Fact Sheet on Compensatory Mitigation

Day One, Tuesday, September 13

Welcome

• John Kemmerer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX
• Therese O'Rourke Bradford, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District
• Jessica Wilkinson, Environmental Law Institute

Session I: Mitigation and the §404 Permitting Program

• Jessica Wilkinson, Environmental Law Institute
  • PowerPoint Presentation
  • Session I Summary Document

Session II: Procedural Steps & Timeline

• John Markham, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District
  • PowerPoint Presentation
  • Session II Summary Document
  • Compensatory Mitigation Rule Timeline for Bank and ILF Approval
  • Los Angeles District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. March 2011. "In-Lieu Fee Prospectus Checklist."

Session III: The Compensation Planning Framework and Structuring an In-Lieu Fee Program

• Philip Womble, Environmental Law Institute
  • PowerPoint Presentation: The Compensation Planning Framework
  • Environmental Law Institute. September 2011. "A Comparison of Compensation Planning Frameworks."
• Jessica Wilkinson, Environmental Law Institute
  • PowerPoint Presentation: Structuring an In-Lieu Fee Program
  • Session III Summary Document
  • Oregon Department of State Lands. Sample Letter. "Subject: Statement of Sale for (Number of Credits) Wetland Mitigation Credits from the Project Name to the Permittee Name."

Session IV: Credit Determination

• Eric Stein, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
  • PowerPoint Presentation
  • Session IV Summary Document

Session V: Monitoring & Performance Standards

• Michelle Lee Mattson, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District
  • PowerPoint Presentation
  • Session V Summary Document
  • Ossinger, Mary. August 1999. "Success Standards for Wetland Mitigation Projects - a Guideline." Washington State Department of Transportation.

  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. October 10, 2008. Minimum Monitoring Requirements for Compensatory Mitigation Projects Involving the Restoration, Establishment, and/or Enhancement of Aquatic Resources. Regulatory Guidance Letter No. 08-03.

Session VI: Advance Crediting

• Steve Martin, Institute for Water Resources
  • PowerPoint Presentation
  • Session VI Summary Document
  • "Example of Advance and Released Credits." September 1, 2011.

Day Two, Wednesday, September 14

Session VII: Financial Assurances (Performance Securities)

• Steve Martin, Institute for Water Resources
  • PowerPoint Presentation
  • Session VII Summary Document
  • Los Angeles District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "Performance bond form."

Session VIII: Long-Term Management Funding

• David R. Brunner, Center for Natural Lands Management
  • PowerPoint Presentation
  • Session VIII Summary Document
  • "Exercise on Long-Term Management Funding." September 2011.
  • California Multi-Agency Project Delivery Team. May 2008. "California Long-term Management Plan Template."

Session IX: Developing a Fee Schedule

• Therese O'Rourke Bradford, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District
  • PowerPoint Presentation
  • Session IX Summary Document

Wrap-Up and Closing Statements

• Paul F. Amato, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX

Additional Resources

Association of State Wetland Managers. In-Lieu Fee Program Work Group.

Bartoldus, Candy C. 1999. "A Comprehensive Review of Wetland Assessment Procedures: A Guide for Wetland Practitioners." Environmental Concern, Inc.

California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM) for Wetlands and Riparian Areas.

Fennessy, M. Siobhan, Amy D. Jacobs and Mary E. Kentula. January 2004. "Review of Rapid Methods for Assessing Wetland Condition." Environmental Protection Agency.

Hruby, Tom. August 2011. "Calculating Credits and Debits for Compensatory Mitigation in Eastern Washington - Operational Draft." Washington Department of Ecology.

Hruby, Tom. February 2011. "Calculating Credits and Debits for Compensatory Mitigation in Western Washington - Operational Draft." Washington Department of Ecology.

King, Dennis M. and Elizabeth W. Price. September 30, 2004. "Developing Defensible Wetland Mitigation Ratios: A Companion to 'The Five-Step Wetland Mitigation Ratio Calculator'." National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Scodari, Paul, Steve Martin, and Aaron Willis. June 2011. "Implementing Financial Assurance for Mitigation Project Success." Institute for Water Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Stein, Eric D., Fari Tabatabai and Richard F. Ambrose. "Wetland Mitigation Banking: A Framework for Crediting and Debiting." Environmental Management 16.3 (September 2000): 233-250.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. October 29, 2003. Model "Operational Guidelines for Creating or Restoring Wetlands that are Ecologically Self-Sustaining" for Aquatic Resource Impacts Under the Corps Regulatory Program Pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. RIBITS (Regulatory In-lieu fee and Bank Information Tracking System).

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. April 10, 2008. Compensatory Mitigation for Losses of Aquatic Resources; Final Rule.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Environmental Laboratory. April 2010. Hydrogeomorphic Approach for Assessing Wetlands Functions.

Wilkinson, Jessica. December 2009. "In-Lieu Fee Mitigation: Model Instrument Language and Resources." Environmental Law Institute.

Approved In-Lieu Fee Program Instruments

• The Coastal Mississippi In-Lieu Fee Program
  Sponsor: Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain

• The Mississippi Delta In-Lieu Fee Program
  Sponsor: Ducks Unlimited, Inc.

• The North Carolina Ecosystem Enhancement Program In-Lieu Fee Program
  Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources

• The Oregon Department of State Lands Statewide Fee-in-Lieu Program
  Sponsor: Oregon Department of State Lands

• Vermont In-Lieu Fee Program
  Sponsor: Ducks Unlimited, Inc.

• Virginia Aquatic Resources Trust Fund In-Lieu Fee Program
  Sponsor: The Nature Conservancy