16 



so quickly into these other areas where we did not have as much 

 experience or expertise because we felt that we would be at risk of 

 making mistakes and throw the whole MOA process into question. 

 So it was in order to guarantee success and recognize our historical 

 areas of expertise and to develop a set of policies consistent with 

 that. 



Mr. Johnson. You will, however, be doing delineations on 

 pastureland. 



Mr. Hebert. That is correct. But in most of the cases that you 

 are referring to, that will be land where the natural vegetation has 

 been removed and replaced with an intensively managed grass crop 

 like alfalfa. 



Mr. Johnson. Because we are coming down to the end of my 

 time, let me just ask one brief question. There has been some dis- 

 cussion about the possibility of mitigation banking, the practice 

 where wetlands are created in one area so that development of wet- 

 lands can occur in another. Has the administration or USDA or 

 any of your agencies pursued any studies or analysis of the possi- 

 bility of such an option in legislation? 



Mr. Hebert. Mr. Chairman, I am not an expert in this area so 

 let's see if one of the other representatives can respond. 



Mr. Johnson. Certainly. 



Mr. Wayland. Mr. Chairman, mitigation banking is endorsed in 

 the Clinton wetlands plan released last August. There are more 

 than 100 mitigation banks in operation around the country. At the 

 time we issued the August plan, we issued guidance to our field to 

 provide some initial clarification of how mitigation might play an 

 important role in the program. Beyond that, there is a major study 

 underway by the Army Corps of Engineers looking at the existing 

 banks, the technical policy and related issues they pose in order to 

 develop additional "how to" guidance for mitigation banking. And 

 if you would like more on that, I think Michael Davis could elabo- 

 rate. 



Mr. Johnson. If the members will bear with me, yes. Mr. Davis 

 do you want to briefly respond? 



Mr. Davis. Yes, Mr. Chairman, I'll just add a little bit to what 

 Bob said. We currently have underway an interagency effort, in- 

 cluding USDA, to develop a detailed policy guidance and detailed 

 technical guidance that will further advocate mitigation banking 

 with proper environmental safeguards. We hope to have that fin- 

 ished sometime in the June to July timeframe and it will be out 

 to our field offices to implement. Right now we simply have a policy 

 framework that does endorse mitigation banking but we need to 

 put some flesh on that skeleton and we're working on that now. 



Mr. Johnson. That would be June or July of this year? 



Mr. Davis. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Johnson. All right. Very good. 



The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Nebraska, Mr. Barrett. 



Mr. Barrett. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I guess a follow-up, 

 perhaps, on what you were getting at a moment ago. It seems that 

 more and more of these plans are giving more oversight of wet- 

 lands to the EPA. Is this a move to put all conservation programs 

 under the jurisdiction of the EPA? Is this a subtle continuation, 

 Mr. Hebert? 



