NOTICE OF A PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING
(LRH-2015-01071-LKR, Indian Creek Mitigation Bank)
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN: A public information meeting will be conducted by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). Details concerning the public information meeting are provided below:
SUBJECT: Mitigation Banking and Mountain State Mitigation Credits Company’s (MSMCC) proposed Indian Creek Mitigation Bank located south of Harrisville, in Ritchie County, West Virginia.
DATE: April 12, 2017
TIME: An informal session will be conducted between 3:30-5:30 p.m.
LOCATION: North Bend State Park
202 North Bend Park Road
Cairo, WV 26337
PURPOSE: To provide information as it relates to mitigation banking and the Corps’ Regulatory role for processing mitigation bank proposals.
BACKGROUND: On January 27, 2017, a Public Notice (PN) was issued for MSMCC’s Indian Creek Mitigation Bank soliciting comments from the public, Federal, state, and local agencies and officials, Indian Tribes and other interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the proposed mitigation bank. The comment period expired on February 27, 2017. Based on comments received, this office has determined that a public information meeting will be held in order to provide additional information related to the Corps’ Regulatory process and mitigation banks.
Mitigation banks are defined as a site, or suite of sites, where resources (e.g. wetlands, streams, riparian areas) are restored, established, enhanced, and/or preserved for the purpose of providing compensatory mitigation for impacts authorized by Department of the Army permits pursuant to Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 and/or Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. In general, units of restored, established, enhanced, or preserved streams (or wetlands) are expressed as “credits” which may be subsequently withdrawn to offset “debits” incurred at a project development site. The Corps is responsible for authorizing the use of a particular mitigation bank on a project-specific basis and determining the number and availability of credits required to compensate for proposed impacts.
All interested parties are invited to be present at the above time and place, including officials of any local government or any association in order to better understand the Corps’ Regulatory process and mitigation banks. Attendees will be given the opportunity to express views concerning the proposed mitigation bank.
All statements, both oral and written, will become a part of the official record. This public information meeting is being conducted to assist in our evaluation of the proposed activities and the public interest.