AMENDMENT MAY SPUR WETLANDS MITIGATION BANKING

An amendment to the reauthorization bill of the federal highway program establishes a preference for the use of wetlands mitigation banks to offset impacts to wetlands under the program. The current federal highway program already allows federal funds to be used to mitigate adverse effects on wetlands caused by highway construction, but isolated, onsite mitigation projects are expensive and costly to maintain when applied strictly to the many small wetlands affected by a typical new highway project. Mitigation banking refers to a large wetlands restoration effort--a bank of wetlands usually of 100 acres (40 ha) or more--undertaken to compensate in advance for future wetlands losses from nearby development. A state department of transportation building a highway project that affects wetlands near a mitigation bank may buy credits generated in the bank that are based on the acreage and quality of the restored wetlands. The bank sponsor assumes full responsibility for maintaining the restored wetlands site. In addition to benefiting the environment, use of mitigation banks will save federal highway dollars that can be made available for other things such as highway construction.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/19451392
• Corporate Authors:

  American Road & Transportation Builders Association

  ARTBA Building, 1219 28th Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20007-3389
• Authors:
  • Szabo, R G
• Publication Date: 1998-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Photos;
• Pagination: p. 41
• Serial:
  • Transportation Builder
  • Volume: 10
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: American Road & Transportation Builders Association
  • ISSN: 1043-4054

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Amendments; Government funding; Legislation; Road construction; State departments of transportation; Traffic mitigation; Wetlands
• Uncontrolled Terms: Mitigation
• Subject Areas: Finance; Highways; Law; I10: Economics and Administration;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00750527
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 25 1998 12:00AM