Guidance: Army Corps Savannah District Releases Draft Guidelines for Mitigation Banking

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The updated guidance for mitigation banking in the Savannah Army Corps District has at long last arrived. As regular readers will know, in summer 2008 the Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency promulgated an extensive regulation to reform and improve compensatory mitigation and mitigation banking for the 404 Federal wetland regulatory program. Presumably, each Army Corps District will at some point issue a document similar to this one in order to conform local practice and previously issued guidance to the new federal regulatory standards.

I have only skimmed the guidance document but (as expected) it appears to be excellent work. The Savannah District and the Georgia IRT (Interagency Review Team) already administer a relatively well-functioning and responsive mitigation banking regulatory system. It is no surprise to see them lead the nation in updating their regs in a comprehensive and thoughtful manner. Don’t get me wrong: I am sure there are bugs in it. But this document is a draft — and “Stories from the Field” will let you know in future posts what we think does or doesn’t work.

Another tip of the hat goes to the newly formed Georgia Environmental Restoration Association (GERA). Modeled to some degree after North Carolina’s NCERA, the GERA was formed last year and has quickly mobilized to improve compensatory mitigation banking in GA. GERA is a “must-join” for working down there.

Proposed Savannah Corps regs here