Despite formal pushback from The Nature Conservancy (TNC), The National Environmental Banking Association (NEBA), Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and others, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VA DEQ) is moving forward with a new In-Lieu Fee (ILF) Program, apparently intended to supplant the longstanding state ILF - VARTF (Virginia Aquatic Resources Trust Fund).
DWR Correspondence Read Here TNC Objection Letter Read Here NEBA Letter Read Here EPA Letter Read Here
In emails and other information collected under FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) by the National Environmental Banking Association, it would appear that issues relating to VARTF's environmental compliance may have caused VA DEQ to decide to launch its own program - called Wetland and Stream Replacement Fund (WSRF)- without TNC.
NEBA believes strongly that mitigation stakeholders, Virginia taxpayers, and others are entitled to an honest accounting of where an estimated $100 million collected by VARTF has been spent to date, if not into Virginia's environment where the program intended.
Further, since any release of salable mitigation credits would have been approved by VA DEQ, the question needs to be asked - how can this agency be expected to police itself when indeed it apparently failed to properly police VARTF?
Watch NEBA for additional news releases on the current questions swirling in Richmond.