The Conservation Fund Compensatory Mitigation Webinar Series - Webinar 5: Short-term Financial Assistance Assurances and Tracking Mitigation Banks and In-Lieu Fee Programs

Compensatory mitigation helps conserve aquatic resources and at-risk species by offsetting permitted impacts under the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and other federal laws. Mitigation can take the form of credits from a bank, in-lieu fee programs, or permittee-responsible projects. This free, eight-part webinar series — led by top experts — will cover key topics including federal regulations, mitigation types, and the roles of agencies and review teams.

This series is for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of compensatory mitigation. It fosters collaboration among regulators, mitigation sponsors, and credit buyers while covering core policies, program implementation, in-lieu fee programs, and credit trading systems. Attending all eight sessions provides a comprehensive view of how these topics connect.

It is recommended that participants watch the recording of Webinar 1 prior to attending this webinar.

Webinar 5 will discuss the options, regulatory requirements, and processes by which mitigation providers establish financial assurances for short-term risk reduction when implementing a compensatory mitigation project. There will also be an overview of RIBITS, the tool used to track mitigation and conservation banks, and in-lieu fee programs.

Session 1: Short-Term Financial Assurances 
Session Goal: To understand how financial assurances ensure implementation of compensatory mitigation project

Session 2: RIBITS Overview 
Session Goals: To provide an overview of RIBITS, the tool used to track mitigation and conservation banks, and in-lieu fee programs

Presenters:

• Dana Herman, US Fish & Wildlife Service  
• Valerie Layne, Institute for Water Resources, US Army Corps of Engineers
• Veronica Rowan, Former Solicitor, Department of Interior