Company Restores 514 Wetland Acres for La. Mitigation Credits
Third Louisiana Resource, LLC, a subsidiary of Resource Environmental Solutions (RES), has restored 514 acres in Cameron Parish, La. The site, Petit Bois Mitigation Bank, will provide Bottomland Hardwood and Baldcypress restoration credits to mitigate wetland impacts in the Calcasieu Basin.
Part of the mitigation bank falls within the Louisiana Coastal Conservation Boundary (Coastal Zone), therefore Petit Bois Mitigation Bank credits will be available for wetland mitigation required by the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources.
By converting existing agriculture land and pasture, the Petit Bois Mitigation Bank restores the historical wetland functions and values in the Calcasieu Drainage Basin associated with bottomland hardwood forests and baldcypress swamps. These functions include water retention, stream flow improvements, nutrient cycling and enhanced plant and wildlife habitat.
Elliott Bouillion, president and chief executive officer of RES, noted, "This restored wetland acreage will provide a mitigation solution to oil and gas companies, developers and municipalities to offset their unavoidable impacts to wetlands. We are pleased to be able to make these mitigation credits available for permittees served by the New Orleans District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources."
The Petit Bois Mitigation Bank is the first of RES' mitigation banks serving southwestern Louisiana. The Grand Canard Mitigation Bank, located in Calcasieu Parish, is currently in the final approval process at the Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District.
RES is committed to providing "green infrastructure" that adds to the restoration of area wetlands. All of the company's properties have conservation servitudes held by third parties so that long-term maintenance and monitoring of the wetlands are in place in perpetuity.