Environmental regulations vary from state to state. And they change constantly. It’s important to fully understand the local environmental policies and regulations before selecting a site for new development.
Here are some ways you can identify local environmental regulations near you:
The National Environmental Policy Act sets forth a national standard of environmental compliance. However, each state, county, and municipality is entitled to their own unique set of regulations, and these regulations can change regularly.
That’s why careful evaluation of environmental compliance is critical for new and existing developments and infrastructure.
For example, the City of Austin, Texas Land Development Code specifies that setbacks (up to several hundred feet) are required for certain environmental features like wetlands, springs, and bluffs. Not knowing about these setbacks early in planning can severely limit your expected development footprint - that's not the good kind of surprise.
Or, in Ohio, an Isolated Wetlands and Ephemeral Streams Permit is required for any project that will fill or dredge in isolated wetlands and streams. This permit requirement is above and beyond the federal regulations, which only regulate wetlands that are hydrologically connected to another waterbody and which do not protect ephemeral waters (per the recent Navigable Waters Protection Rule). Basically, unlike states where only federal rules apply, impacts to basically anything wet in Ohio requires a permit from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. This permit can add at least a month to your timeline - that's need-to-know info for your project schedule!
Check out the map below for a summary of which states have unique waterways or wetlands permitting in addition to federal permitting.
Learn more about about wetlands mapping & permitting here >>
Transect’s environmental due diligence platform identifies state and local environmental regulations for your project site.
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State regulations are tediously researched and documented in Transect by our experts on an ongoing basis. All 48 contiguous U.S. states have been populated with state environmental data, regulations, and permits and are updated as needed.
Local environmental and development regulations are populated into Transect on a project-by-project basis as part of our Marketplace.
Find out what state and local regulations and permits are commonly encountered by our various industry customers.
For solar projects, relationships with the local counties are super important. You need to be able to filter out which communities are solar-friendly (and which ones have deal-killing setbacks!), and find the right contact information to make a good connection.
In addition to the federal Clean Water Act 404 requirements, state waterways and wetlands permits can often add a lot of additional hoops to jump through and timelines to consider for oil and gas projects, especially when isolated wetlands are regulated.
Real estate projects can get hammered by local environmental regulations. Setbacks from wetlands or floodplains will change the developable footprint faster than you can say belgian waffles.
Utility-scale wind facilities are required to observe a patchwork of federal and state regulations and approvals, which may include setbacks from wetlands, sensitive wildlife, towns, and certain infrastructure like airports.
Transect’s environmental due diligence software evaluates your site and, using a reliable and regularly-updated database, shows you up-to-date state environmental regulations you need to consider.
And that’s not all. You also have access to additional resources with detailed information on local environmental regulations, permits, and more.
It’s easier than you think. Generate your first report in just a few seconds. (And it’s absolutely free.)
- Layne Ashton, Clēnera Renewable Energy
(888) 437-4942
info@transect.com