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Archived Updates
Skagit
County’s first wetland mitigation bank approved
Ecology proposing to adopt a new rule for wetland mitigation
banks
(Wetland Mitigation Banks, Chapter 173-700 WAC)
- Ecology proposed to adopt a
new rule for wetland mitigation banks. The purpose of the
proposed rule is to provide an efficient, predictable framework
to certify, operate and monitor wetland mitigation banks across
the state. For more information on the rule,
click here .
(Also
see related
Ecology News Release dated March 11, 2009.)
Joint Public Notice: Proposal for a Wetland Mitigation Bank in
Skagit County
- A Joint Public Notice concerning an
application to construct and operate the Skagit Environmental
Bank was posted January 7, 2009 and expired on
February 6, 2009. Clear Valley Environmental Farm, LLC is the
applicant for this proposed wetland mitigation bank located in
Skagit County, 1.5 miles northeast of Mount Vernon.
The proposed work will restore wetlands and
streams for use as a wetland mitigation bank. The proposed
project is located on 396 acres. The Corps of Engineers and
Ecology requested public comment on the application and
mitigation bank instrument (MBI) that were submitted by the
applicant.
You can download the Public Notice and
associated MBI on Ecology’s Wetland Mitigation
Banking
Public Notice Archives web page.
(Also see a related
Ecology News Release dated January 8, 2009.)
Ecology Public Notice: Proposal to Certify a Wetland
Mitigation Bank in Clark County
-
Ecology requested public comment on the
certification of the Columbia River Wetland Mitigation Bank
(bank) in Clark County, WA. Specifically, Clark
County Mitigation Partners, LLC proposed to create and
enhance approximately 160 acres of wetland and associated
upland habitat to establish the bank.
The purpose of the bank is to provide, for
sale to the general public, high-quality, consolidated,
watershed-based compensatory mitigation. Bank credits would be
available – subject to regulatory approval- for future projects
with unavoidable impacts to wetlands and other aquatic
resources. The presence of a wetland bank does not change
existing regulatory requirements to avoid, minimize, rectify and
finally, compensate for wetland impacts.
The public comment period to evaluate state
certification for the proposed bank started December 4, 2008 and
ended January 5, 2009.
You can download the Public Notice and
associated supporting documents on Ecology’s Wetland Mitigation
Banking
Public Notice Archives web page.
(Also see a related
Ecology News Release dated December 4, 2008.)
Ecology gives top honors to Paine
Field wetland bank project
- (Department of Ecology News Release - September 24,
2008). For the full
text of the article,
click here. To go to the web page for the Paine
Field wetland bank,
click here.
Joint Public Notice: Proposal for a Wetland Mitigation Bank
in King County
-
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(Corps), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) and the City of
Redmond considered a proposal from Habitat Banc NW,
LLC to construct and operate the Lake Washington-Sammamish
Watershed Mitigation Bank. The Joint Public Notice was
posted March 31, 2008 and expired on April 30, 2008.
Habitat Banc NW, LLC is the applicant for the bank located
in King County, Washington. At the time of the Public
Notice, the proposal involved approximately 117 acres within
the city of Redmond. The Corps, EPA and Ecology solicited
comments from interested parties in order to identify
project aspects that needed to be addressed during the bank
review process. If you would like to download this Public
Notice and associated prospectus, go to Ecology's Wetland
Mitigation Banking
Public Notice Archives web page.
The Public was Invited to Attend Ecology’s Wetland Mitigation Banking
Program’s Advisors Group Meeting on November 27, 2007
- Ecology met with the Wetland Banking Advisors Group on
November 27, 2007 from 10 to 3 at the Tacoma Municipal Building,
Room 343 in Tacoma, WA. The Advisors
Group consists of representatives from local, state, and
federal agencies, environmental interests, banking, and
agriculture and business communities. The Advisors Group
provides guidance and identifies improvements to the Wetland
Banking Program. The topic of this meeting was to discuss
possible rule changes regarding Public Access/Allowed Uses,
Site Selection, Credit Generation and Language Related to
Local Approval. (Agenda,
Minutes)
The Public was Invited to Attend Ecology’s Wetland Mitigation Banking
Program’s Advisors Group Meeting on October 17, 2007
- Ecology met with the Wetland Banking Advisors Group on
October 17, 2007 from 10 to 3 at the Tacoma Municipal
Building, Room 138 in Tacoma, WA. The topic of this meeting was to discuss
possible rule changes regarding conservation easements and to
discuss the SEPA process for bank proposals (Agenda,
Minutes).
The Public was Invited to Attend Ecology’s Wetland Mitigation Banking
Program’s Advisors Group Meeting on September 20, 2007
- Ecology met with the Wetland Banking Advisors Group on
September 20, 2007 from 10 to 3 at the Seattle District Corps
of Engineers in Seattle, WA. The topic of this meeting was to
discuss possible rule changes regarding conservation easements
and to discuss the SEPA process for bank proposals (Agenda,
Minutes).
Special Joint Public Notice: Submittal Opening for Mitigation Bank Proposals
-
The U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers (Seattle District), the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (Region 10), and the Washington Department
of Ecology jointly accepted proposals for new wetland
mitigation banks in Washington State. There was a 7-week open
submittal period from August 13, 2007 through September 28,
2007. During the open submittal period, proposals were
accepted and evaluated by the interagency Mitigation Bank
Review Team (MBRT).
Prior to that, the MBRT had only reviewed bank projects that
were selected to participate in Ecology’s Wetland Mitigation
Banking Pilot Program. While the pilot program continues, the
MBRT agencies have decided to accept proposals for new
mitigation banks in an effort to expand mitigation banking
opportunities in the state. For more details, view the
Public Notice (PDF file).
Updated Templates for Mitigation Banks are Available Online
-
In September 2006 the Department of
Ecology's Wetland Mitigation Banking Program posted
Mitigation Banking Instrument (MBI) and Appendices Templates
for entrepreneurial wetland mitigation bank projects.
Since then, Ecology updated the templates and they are
available online. You can download the templates
here.
The Public was Invited to Attend Ecology’s Wetland Mitigation Banking
Program’s Advisors Group Meeting on June 13, 2007
- Ecology met with the Wetland Banking Advisors Group on June 13, 2007
from 10 to 3 at the Washington Department of Transportation HQ Office in
Olympia, WA. The topic of this meeting was discussion of requirements for a
wetland mitigation bank prospectus and opportunities for public
comment/participation during the review and certification of wetland
mitigation banks (Agenda,
Minutes).
The Public was Invited to Attend Ecology’s
Wetland Mitigation Banking Program’s Advisors Group Meeting on May 2, 2007
-
Ecology met with the Wetland Banking Advisors Group
on May 2, 2007 from 10 to 3 at the Seattle District Corps of Engineers
in Seattle, WA. The topic of this
meeting was to discuss and clarify the specific recommendations from the
Advisors Group that have been identified from past meetings. In addition
they discussed future meeting topics and how the group would like to
proceed over the next few months (Agenda,
Minutes).
Joint Public Notice: Proposal for a Mitigation Bank in Clark County
-
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, and Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) considered a
proposal to construct and operate the multi-site Clark County Mitigation
Bank. The Joint Public Notice was posted March 23, 2007 and expired on
April 23, 2007 (extended to May 1, 2007).
Clark County Mitigation Partners, LLC is the applicant for the multi-site
mitigation bank located throughout Clark County, Washington. At the time of
the Public Notice, the proposal
involved six sites totaling approximately 1,000 acres. Additional sites
may be added in the future as amendments to the approved Mitigation Bank
Instrument. The Corps and Ecology are solicited comments from
interested parties in order to identify project aspects that needed to be
addressed during the bank review process. If you would like to download this
Public Notice and associated prospectus, go to Ecology's Wetland Mitigation
Banking Public Notice Archives web page.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Ecology, and Clark County
Invited the Public to Attend a Wetland Banking Workshop on April
17, 2007
-
The Corps, Ecology, and Clark County
considered a proposal to establish a wetland mitigation bank on six
parcels of land in Clark County, Washington.
There was a joint public workshop on April 17 in Vancouver, Washington, so
members of the community could ask questions or comment on the proposed
action.
For complete details see the
workshop announcement.
Also see the Corps Portland District's recent
News
Release.
The Public was Invited to Attend the Banking Program’s Advisors Group Meeting
on March 28, 2007
-
Ecology met with the Wetland Banking
Advisors
Group on March 28, 2007 from 10 to 3 at the
Lacey Community Center
in Lacey, WA. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss how to
improve the accountability and timeliness within Ecology’s Wetland Banking
Program. (Agenda,
Minutes).
Guidance on Locating Mitigation Banks Using a
Landscape-Based Approach is Now Available
-
On March 21, 2007, Ecology, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 10, and the
Seattle District Corps of Engineers issued a
Special Joint Public Notice. This notice announced the
opportunity for applicants to submit new proposals for
wetland mitigation banks. In this notice, we strongly
encouraged applicants to use a landscape-based approach to
select sites for wetland mitigation banks.
To help applicants in this process, the agencies developed
Guidance on Locating Mitigation Banks Using a
Landscape-Based Approach (Guidance). This Guidance is
intended to help applicants identify some of the important
landscape processes influencing wetlands and maintaining
water flow processes.
Although it is not mandatory for applicants to use the
Guidance, thinking about landscape processes when selecting
a site will help ensure you are choosing the best possible
site for a wetland mitigation bank.
Please see the
Special Joint Public Notice and the
Guidance for more information on using a landscape-based
approach in your proposal.
Status of the Wetland Mitigation Banking Pilot Program -
A Report to the Legislature
-
In December 2006, the Department of Ecology presented a report,
Status of the Wetland
Mitigation Banking Pilot Program, to the Washington State
Legislature.
The report provides background and legislative history on the Wetland
Banking Pilot Program. It also includes an overview of the Pilot Program
from 2004 – 2006, including program funding, government-to-government
coordination efforts, and lessons learned. In addition, it provides a brief
look to the future of the program, including program improvements,
post-certification monitoring of wetland banks, and the next steps in
formally adopting a Wetland Banking Rule.
The Public was Invited to Attend the Banking Program’s Advisors Group Meeting
on February 20, 2007
The Public was Invited to Attend the Banking Program's Advisors Group Meeting
on January 8, 2007
Ecology Hosted Forum on
Wetland Banking
-
(Department of Ecology News Release - November 28,
2006).
Click here for the full text of the article or
click here to view the agenda.
After opening remarks from Director Jay Manning and a status report on
wetland banking in Washington State by Ecology’s Lauren Driscoll,
panelists were asked to present their ideas on what a successful banking
program looks like to them. Panelists for the event represented
perspectives ranging from entrepreneurial bankers, to bank users, to
regulators, to stakeholders with environmental or land use concerns.
Click here to view summary
(pdf, 4 pages)
Second private “wetland
bank” approved under state pilot program
Springbrook Creek Wetland
and Habitat Mitigation Bank approval.
-
The state’s first
urban wetland bank was approved by local, federal, and state agencies on
August 22, 2006. Click here for
more information.
Public
workshop set on Skagit Valley wetland banks
State "wetland bank"
pilot program launched in Snohomish County
10-Year Anniversary of Release of Federal Mitigation Banking Guidance
- Ten years ago the EPA, the Corps, USFWS, NMFS, and NRCS released the
Federal Mitigation Banking Guidance(November 28, 1995). To commemorate the event, EPA
released a fact sheet entitled
Mitigation
Banking: Compensating for Impacts to Wetlands and Streams. The fact
sheet discusses the concept of mitigation banking as well as the history,
status, and benefits of mitigation banking. It also provides links to useful
mitigation banking-related resources.
Last updated: 10/07/2009
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