Introduction to Ecological Offsets (More than just wetland banking)
- Mar 12, 2025
- 2 min read
Speaker: Jon Kasitz of Resource Environmental Solutions, LLC
As regulations covering every form of land-development project (mining, energy, transportation, commercial/residential, etc) continue to evolve, more and more projects are requiring one or more types of compensatory mitigation or ‘ecological offsets’ to mitigate the project’s unavoidable impacts to sensitive environmental resources, such as wetlands, riparian buffers, and endangered species, and water-quality. The ecological offset market started in the 1990’s with wetland mitigation banking (fill in one acre of wetland, replace one acre somewhere else), but now in PA also includes streams, riparian buffers, endangered species (bats in particular), and water-quality (MS4 and NPDES). Jon will provide an overview of how these ecological offsets work, how they’re applied to projects, how private companies like RES develop ‘credits’, and will be informative to help project-developers and consultants ensure that ecological offsets are identified early in the due diligence and permitting process, to keep your project on schedule and budget (and compliant with state and federal regulations).
Bio: Jon Kasitz has over two decades of experience helping public and private clients solve complex environmental challenges, specifically those regarding wetlands, streams, and endangered species. His ten years at RES have been highlighted by the development of creative ecological offsets and water quality solutions for many of the largest infrastructure projects around the state, as well as the expansion of the wetland, stream, and endangered species mitigation banking industry. As Client Solutions Manager at RES, Jon has successfully connected private companies, State agencies, and Municipalities across Pennsylvania with the best and most cost-effective solutions to their compensatory mitigation, water quality and aquatic resource challenges. Jon lives in Coatesville, Chester County and enjoys both working and recreating in the woods, fields and streams of Pennsylvania.
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