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Wetlands "Mitigation Banks" Drilled for Oil and Gas

Some of the nation's "mitigation banks" created by a federal program to preserve wetlands and streams, including a number in Texas, are being exploited for their oil and gas reserves.

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Credit: Paul Lowry

Some of the nation's "mitigation banks" created by a federal program to preserve wetlands and streams, including a number in Texas, are being exploited for their oil and gas reserves, despite a ruling by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that mineral extraction is not a "compatible use" within those preserves. The restored wetlands areas act as "banks" that can sell credits to developers and agencies looking for permits to take over or destroy environmentally sensitive ecosystems. (Houston Chronicle)

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