Russ Feingold: “Mitigation for Corps of Engineers civil works projects is another important area that must be improved. Despite the…”

“Mitigation for Corps of Engineers civil works projects is another important area that must be improved. Despite the clear mitigation requirements established for water resources projects in the Water Resources Development Act of 1986, the Government Accountability Office reported in 2002 that the Corps of Engineers does not mitigate at all for almost 70 percent of its projects. To help address this problem, the Senate provision requires the Secretary to ensure that mitigation for water resources projects complies fully with the mitigation standards and policies established pursuant to section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, 33 U.S.C. 1344. This will help protect the environment and is consistent with the fundamental principal that we will hold the Federal Government to the same environmental criteria as private enterprise. In addition, in order to ensure that mitigation produces the same or greater ecosystem values as those lost to a water resources project, the Senate provision requires that the Corps of Engineers implement not less than in-kind mitigation. To ensure that mitigation will be effective, the Senate bill requires the preparation of detailed mitigation plans, requires that mitigation be monitored until ecological success criteria are met, and requires the Corps of Engineers to consult yearly with applicable Federal and State agencies on the status of individual mitigation efforts.”