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GAO-24-107493 1 (2024-09-25)

handle is hein.gao/gaoqwo0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Why This Matters Key Takeaways Wetlands, streams, and other aquatic resources are critical to maintaining healthy ecosystems. Wetlands support a number of valuable functions, including flood controls, improving water quality, and providing wildlife with habitat. To restore and maintain the integrity of these waters, discharging dredged or fill material into waters of the United States-which can include wetlands and streams-is generally prohibited without a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). For a Corps permit to authorize discharge, parties responsible for it must generally avoid and minimize adverse impacts to wetlands, streams, and other aquatic resources to the extent practicable. In fiscal year 2023 alone, the Corps issued permits for permanent and temporary impacts to more than 73,000 acres of aquatic resources. For unavoidable adverse impacts, compensatory mitigation may be required to replace the loss of wetland or aquatic resource functions to the extent practicable, generally in the same watershed. Compensatory mitigation refers to the restoration, establishment, enhancement, or-in certain circumstances- preservation of wetlands, streams, and other aquatic resources for the purpose of offsetting unavoidable adverse impacts that remain after achieving all appropriate and practicable avoidance and minimization. Compensatory mitigation includes activities such as planting trees and erecting in-stream structures. Permittees may perform the work themselves (known as permittee- responsible mitigation) or pay a third-party mitigator to improve or preserve aquatic resources and assume responsibility for successful completion of the mitigation project. The Corps issues permits for the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States and as part of the permitting process can require compensatory mitigation under section 404 of the Clean Water Act and its implementing regulations. The Corps' 38 district offices are responsible for issuing these permits. The Water Resources Development Act of 2022 includes a provision for GAO to review the costs of carrying out compensatory mitigation activities borne by the federal government, a permittee, or any other involved entity. (Pub. L. No. 117- 263, div. H, tit. LXXXI, § 8236(d)(2)(B)(iv), 136 Stat. 2395, 3772.) This report discusses the types and amounts of costs for carrying out compensatory mitigation activities borne by the federal government, third-party mitigators, section 404 permittees, and any other involved entities, such as state government agencies. * Certain federal agencies and state environmental agencies incur costs for reviewing and approving third-party mitigation projects and reviewing monitoring reports for those projects. Federal and state agencies may also Page 1 GAO-24-1 07493 Clean Water Act Page 1 GAO-24-107493 Clean Water Act

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