Panel Discussion - Permitting Innovation: The Challenges and Opportunities for Restoring Dynamic Stream Systems under the CWA 404 Program
Adam Riggsbee
RiverBank Conservation
Ecological Restoration Business Association
Austin, TX
Brian Topping
US EPA Office of Water
Washington, DC
Dave Urban
Ecosystem Investment Partners
Baltimore, MD
Between November 2022 and May 2023, Meridian Institute, with the support of the Walton Family Foundation and the Ecological Restoration Business Association, convened mitigation bankers, agency staff, non-profit organizations, and academic experts to explore the challenges and opportunities associated with improving ecological outcomes and encouraging innovation under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. This panel discussion will feature some of the expert participants from the roundtable sessions and explore the resulting report’s key findings and solutions. Topics will include: how to permit alternative approaches to stream restoration and restoration of dynamic systems, barriers that stem from current training and crediting methodologies, and the opportunities presented in regional and watershed approaches and potential guidance documents.
About Adam Riggsbee
Adam’s dam removal experience dates back to 2002 when he started graduate school in Environmental Science and Engineering at the University of North Carolina. While at UNC, Adam studied sediment and nutrient dynamics associated with two dam removals, which were completed as offsets projects under the Clean Water Act. He has since permitted two other dam removals as Clean Water Act offset projects in North Carolina.
Aside from leading RiverBank, Adam is also active in the policy and practice literature as a frequent collaborator with various academics. His past work has investigated the influence of national regulations and regional policies on private investment in Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act markets. Adam also serves as Vice President for the Ecological Restoration Business Association and is a member of the Board of Visitors at UNC’s Institute for the Environment.
About Brian Topping
Brian Topping has worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency since 2004 in the Clean Water Act Section 404 regulatory program. He works on streamflow duration assessment method development, programmatic tracking and reporting, training, and compensatory mitigation with a focus on stream mitigation.
About David Urban
David Urban has over 35 years’ experience in wetland and stream restoration. David is a nationally recognized expert in mitigation banking, is a past President of the Ecological Restoration Business Association, and was a permit officer at the Chicago District of the Corps. David has been directly responsible for the operation, design, permitting, construction, management, and/or monitoring of over 100 mitigation banks and numerous other mitigation and restoration projects, totaling over 47,000 acres of wetland and 220 miles of streams in 17 different districts of the US Army Corps of Engineers. As Managing Director of Operations at EIP he is directly responsible for contract management, subcontractor direction, maintenance and monitoring for lands under control of company. Also responsible for communication with Interagency Review Team and other regulatory agencies. David early in his career was involved in the design of multiple water resource projects including reservoirs, spillways, storm sewers and flood control management. David has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University, a MS in Environmental Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology, was commissioned in the US Navy for 5 years.