The 11th annual and newly named National Mitigation & Ecosystem Banking Conference was held last week in Jacksonville, Florida.  This year’s conference was especially important as it followed the EPA and Army Corps' release of the new Rules on compensatory mitigation and its preference for mitigation banks as a solution.  The Wetlandsbank Group was prominently featured among the sponsors of the Conference on their home turf of Florida.

Mitigation bankers at the Conference were excited about the prospect that they may capitalize on their new status as the first choice for mitigation options while providing the best ecological solutions for restoration and preservation of natural resources.  Venture capitalists and private equity funds were reassured that their investments now had the regulatory framework to support and grow the industry.  And regulators received warm responses for their hard work and long-awaited support of the mitigation banking industry.

Some of the notable highlights of the Conference for The Wetlandsbank Group included:

·        A New Rule Workshop hosted by Dr. Mark Sudol, Chief, Regulatory Program, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, D.C. and Palmer Hough, Environmental Scientist, Wetlands Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.

·        Announcement of a new online National Mitigation Bank Database available to the public in September through the Corps previously implemented RIBITS program.

·        The Wetlandsbank Group CEO Steve Collins lectured on Due Diligence in Mitigation Banking.

·        The Wetlandsbank Group Partner and Legal Council George I. Platt moderated a session on

Capital Market Investment in Mitigation & Banking.

·        The Wetlandsbank Group sponsored and hosted a cocktail reception for the Conference.

While much discussion was devoted to interpreting the new Rule and how it will be implemented nationally, there was also a good deal of attention paid to the future of our industry. Conservation banking, carbon credit trading, and credit stacking were among some of the other topics explored in the conference sessions. 

For more information about the conference, workshops, or access to presentations in audio or Powerpoint format please go to the National Mitigation and Ecosystem Banking Conference webpage at http://www.mitigationbankingconference.com/