Wetland and Stream Mitigation: !Permitting and Regulatory Update!
!Dave Goerman, !
Water Pollution Biologist!, Bureau Waterways Engineering and Wetlands!
!Russ Krauss, Vice President, Marketing & Analysis !
Resource Environmental Solutions!!
PAEP 2013 Annual Conference!May 9, 2013!
!Environmental is a small part !
of our project budget.!!
Environmental issues and permitting have the largest impacts on project timing.!
Marcellus Shale: Play Boundary!
h"p://resmi+ga+on.com 3
Entire Play!Aerial Extent!60,882,397
Acres!!
Leasehold*:!Over 11,000,000!
Leased!Acres!!
Top 25 Operators by Leasehold*:!
Over 9,000,000!Leased !Acres!
*Source: UG Data Center and Company Reports
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Streams and Waterways!
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Wetlands!
Regulatory Environment!
Permi&ng in a Changing Regulatory Climate
Mitigation!
Replacement of unavoidably lost aquatic (wetland or stream) functions and/or area by establishing, enhancing, restoring and/or preserving wetlands and streams somewhere else.!!Required to offsets impacts from Dredge or Fill of Waters of the United States !!Compensatory Mitigation fulfills DA Permits under Clean Water Act §404 and/or Rivers and Harbors Act §10 (aka Section 404 or Section 10 Permits)!
Permi&ng in a Changing Regulatory Climate
Mitigation Rule!Compensatory Mitigation for Losses of
Aquatic Resources; Final Rule!!DoD 33 CFR Parts 325 and 332; EPA 40 CFR Part 230!
!Preference for Compensatory Mitigation from Mitigation Banks!
Federal Register, pp. 19670-‐19705.
Benefits of Mitigation Banks!
“The mitigation plan for this permit is to purchase credits from an approved compensatory mitigation !bank.”!
versus!
Mitigation Bank Sponsor has Liability for Mitigation, !Not the Permittee !
Big Picture: Changing Fundamentals !
Post-Rapanos guidance! !
! “Significant Nexus”!!
EPA Proposed Definition Changes to Jurisdictional Waters!
!!“Waters of the US”!
Regulatory Change!What Weʼve Observed!• Agency-specific, confusing
rule-making!• Impact assessment?!• Site-specific offsets!
• Onsite!• Small-ish!• PA In Lieu Fee Program!• Do it yourself!
• Permittee liability!• Offset funding!• Site monitoring and
maintenance!• Agency reporting!
• Escalating costs!
What Weʼre Going to See!• New, coordinated rules!• New, applied assessment
methods!– Physical!– Biological!– Chemical !
• Watershed approach!– Service areas!
• Cumulative impacts!• New offset approaches!
– Mitigation Banks!
PA: Wetlands and Stream Mitigation!
Current What’s Coming Permitting! Primarily On-site PRM! Approved Commercial
Mitigation Bank Credits!Timing! 120-400 days! <45 days!Permittee Liability! 7-10 Years! None!Functional Assessment Method!
Professional Judgment! Standardized Assessment!
• In November 2011, Pennsylvania Statewide Interagency Review Team accepted multiple filings for compensatory mitigation banks!
• Established a set of standards between all agencies!• Service both Chapter 105 and Section 404/10 requirements and IP
and PASPGP-4 Permits!• Statewide in reach; spans all Corps districts!• Impacts serviceable (offset) within standardized watersheds!• Precedent: already in use at PennDOT!
