Like I wrote on my website’s mainpage “Bridges span vast wetlands. Interstates drive straight through endangered species territory.” Departments of Transportation, in fact, constitute a major source of demand for wetland and species mitigation. A good example from Florida just came into my inbox courtesy of Ecosystem Marketplace’s Mitigation Mail.
Private Sector Poised to Corner the Florida Mitigation Market
A bill that would steer a $116 million dollar Department of Transportation (DOT) wetland mitigation fund toward private banks in Florida is rapidly making its way through the state legislature. Currently public water management districts are responsible for about two-thirds of state DOT wetland mitigation projects. The bill, CS/HB 599, would channel all DOT funds to the private sector. Not everyone is happy about it: an article in the Tampa Bay Times points to the private wetland banking sector’s spotty track record when it comes to effective mitigation, citing a 2007 state Department of Environmental Protection study that found inadequate mitigation, both in permitting requirements and subsequent implementation.
– Learn more at the Tampa Bay Times.
Madsen Environmental 