Virginia Law

A. A permittee may satisfy the requirements of this chapter, wholly or in part, by obtaining a certificate of deposit and assigning all rights, title and interest of the certificate of deposit to the department, conditioned so that the permittee shall comply with the approved compensatory mitigation plan filed for the project. The issuing institution shall be an entity that has the authority to issue certificates of deposit in the Commonwealth of Virginia and whose operations are regulated and examined by a federal agency or the State Corporation Commission (Commonwealth of Virginia). The permittee must submit the originally signed assignment and the originally signed certificate of deposit, if applicable, to the department.

B. The amount of the certificate of deposit shall be at least equal to the current compensatory mitigation cost estimate for the project for which the permit application has been filed or any part thereof not covered by other financial responsibility mechanisms. The permittee shall maintain the certificate of deposit and assignment until all activities required by the approved compensatory mitigation plan have been completed.

C. The permittee shall be entitled to demand, receive and recover the interest and income from the certificate of deposit as it becomes due and payable as long as the market value of the certificate of deposit used continues to at least equal the amount of the current cost estimate for compensatory mitigation activities.

D. The department shall cash the certificate of deposit if the permittee has failed to implement compensatory mitigation in accordance with the approved plan or other permit or special order requirements.

E. In regards to implementation of a compensatory mitigation plan either by the permittee or by an authorized third party, proper implementation of a compensatory mitigation plan shall be deemed to have occurred when the department determines that compensatory mitigation has been completed. Such implementation shall be deemed to have been completed when the provisions of the permittee's approved compensatory mitigation plan have been executed and the provisions of any other permit requirements or enforcement orders relative to the compensatory mitigation plan have been complied with.

F. Whenever the approved compensatory mitigation cost estimate increases to an amount greater than the amount of the certificate of deposit, the permittee shall, within 60 days of the increase, cause the amount of the certificate of deposit to be increased to an amount at least equal to the new estimate or obtain another certificate of deposit to cover the increase. Whenever the cost estimate decreases, the permittee may reduce the amount of the certificate of deposit to the new estimate following written approval by the department.

G. The department shall return the original assignment and certificate of deposit, if applicable, to the issuing institution for termination when:

1. The permittee substitutes acceptable alternate evidence of financial responsibility for implementation of the compensatory mitigation plan as specified in this chapter; or

2. The department notifies the permittee that he is no longer required by this chapter to maintain evidence of financial responsibility for implementation of the compensatory mitigation plan for the project.

H. The assignment shall be worded as described in 9VAC25-770-190 C, except that instructions in brackets shall be replaced with the relevant information and the brackets deleted.