Project Managers seeking to purchase mitigation credits to offset Clean Water Act section 404 "unavoidable impacts" to Waters of the United States, may initiate the purchase of credits through the LLF In-Lieu Fee using the form on this page.
What is In-Lieu Fee Mitigation?
In-Lieu Fee (ILF) mitigation is one type of mitigation used to compensate for unavoidable impacts to streams and wetlands. In this mitigation approach, a permittee pays a fee to The Land Learning Foundation In-Lieu Fee Program (Program Sponsor) instead of conducting on or off site permittee-responsible mitigation or buying credits from a mitigation bank. The fee charged by The Land Learning Foundation represents the expected costs of replacing stream or wetland functions lost or degraded as a result of the permittee’s impact.
The Land Learning Foundation In-Lieu Fee Program
How to apply:
- Developer should contact a natural resource consulting firm and/or the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to assess the projected impact to stream or wetland habitat.
- After the impact to stream or wetland has been assessed, the USACE will determine the number of credits required to mitigate for the impact. The USACE and Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) work together to assess the nature of water-body impacts.
- The Land Learning Foundation (LLF) will contact both the USACE and the MDNR to notify the agencies of the developers intent to use LLF’s ILF program for compensatory mitigation and confirm the number of credits required.
- The cost per stream and wetland credit varies depending on the location of the impact. A quote can be received by contacting the Land Learning Foundation at [email protected]. Please provide a Section 404 Permit Letter from the USACE or a wetland delineation assessment with each inquiry. For immediate estimates, please fill out our estimate form below or call (800)761-6171.
