Long Island In-Lieu Fee Program provides an approved compensatory mitigation option while supporting wetland restoration and conservation
As New York expands renewable energy development and electric transmission infrastructure, Ducks Unlimited’s Long Island In-Lieu Fee Program offers eligible projects a way to meet compensatory mitigation requirements while supporting wetland restoration and conservation across the region.
The program serves Long Island, Brooklyn, and Queens and provides an approved compensatory mitigation option for qualifying projects permitted through the New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission, or ORES.
For energy, transmission, and other infrastructure projects, compensating for unavoidable impacts to wetlands and aquatic resources can present significant challenges. Limited land availability, high property values, permitting requirements, and long-term monitoring responsibilities can make developing individual mitigation sites particularly difficult on Long Island.
Through the Long Island In-Lieu Fee Program, eligible permittees can purchase approved mitigation credits rather than independently developing, permitting, constructing, and monitoring a mitigation site. Ducks Unlimited then assumes responsibility for implementing the required mitigation and its long-term stewardship.
A regional approach to wetland restoration
The program was designed around Long Island’s environmental conditions and limited opportunities for compensatory mitigation. It offers both freshwater and estuarine wetland credits, with mitigation funding directed toward strategically selected restoration projects.
Pooling resources from multiple projects also allows Ducks Unlimited to pursue restoration at a larger scale than may be practical through individual mitigation projects. Those efforts can address conservation needs including coastal wetland loss, marsh resilience, water quality, invasive species, and habitat connectivity.
“By directing mitigation funding toward strategically selected wetland restoration projects, we can help improve resilience, restore habitat, and support the long-term health of Long Island’s coastal and freshwater ecosystems,” said Jessica Druze, Ducks Unlimited Manager of Conservation Programs.
The program uses a watershed-based approach to direct resources toward ecologically significant restoration opportunities that improve wetland resilience, restore aquatic functions, enhance wildlife habitat, and contribute to broader conservation goals.
Supporting New York’s changing infrastructure needs
New York’s renewable energy goals, transmission expansion, and evolving permitting framework are expected to create continued demand for compensatory wetland mitigation.
ORES-permitted renewable energy and transmission projects may use Long Island In-Lieu Fee Program credits when applicable regulatory requirements are met. The program provides project teams with an established mitigation option while directing resources toward wetland and coastal habitat restoration throughout the region.
For Ducks Unlimited, the result is an opportunity to pair infrastructure needs with meaningful conservation outcomes for wetlands, wildlife, and communities across Long Island, Brooklyn, and Queens.
Learn more
Developers, consultants, and project teams interested in the Long Island In-Lieu Fee Program are encouraged to contact Ducks Unlimited early in the permitting process to discuss credit availability, service areas, and mitigation planning.
Jessica Druze
Manager of Conservation Programs
Long Island In-Lieu Fee Program
516-232-7540
jdruze@ducks.org
Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing wetlands, grasslands and other waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has restored or protected more than 20 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science, DU’s projects benefit waterfowl, wildlife and people in all 50 states. Learn more at www.ducks.org.
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