What is the estimated social, economic, and environmental value of conserving natural and working lands (particularly wetlands) in North Carolina? What are the estimated social, economic, and environmental impacts associated with the degradation of wetlands that lost federal or state protections between 2022 and 2023?

Department or Agency: NC Department of Environmental Quality

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Topics

Conservation Tax Law and PolicyEconomy-wide Impacts and Policy OptionsEnvironmental (Water Quality) Impacts and Policy OptionsFlood Risk and Flood ResiliencyState and Federal Lands Wetland ProtectionNatural and Working Lands Preservation and ConservationCost/Benefit AnalysesClimate Change - Carbon Sequestration Potential

Project Overview

Summary

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) and the NC Office of Strategic Partnerships (OSP) hosted a research partnership interest meeting on October 2, 2024, to discuss this project. Click here for the meeting recording and NCDEQ slide deck.

On May 25, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that reduced federal protections of wetlands and waterbodies that have no surface connection to waters of the United States. This decision may eliminate the federal protection status for a significant amount of the nation’s wetlands, including North Carolina’s resource rich wetlands. With the passage of the 2023 Farm Bill (SB 582) by the NC legislature that limited state wetland jurisdiction to be no more stringent than the federal jurisdiction, there is a research need to quantify the social, economic, and environmental impacts of the two decisions.

Section 3(a) of Executive Order 305 directed NCDEQ to develop a method to update existing mapping platforms and estimate the number of acres that may lose protection under the two decisions. Section 3(e) directed NCDEQ to work with partner organizations to research the social, environmental, and economic impacts of potential losses/reductions in flood control, water pollution filtration, outdoor recreation, wildlife habitat, biodiversity, and other uses of natural and working lands, with particular focus on wetlands.

NCDEQ is soliciting interested organizations individually or as team to develop a Scope of Work (SOW) that proposes method(s) to address Section 3(e) of the Executive Order. The proposed SOW should address one or more of the following research questions. NCDEQ anticipates selecting SOWs from more than one researcher/research team.

What is the estimated social, economic, and environmental value of conserving natural and working lands in North Carolina by land type, with a special focus on wetlands?
What are the estimated social, economic, and environmental impacts, including estimated flood risk, to the state associated with the degradation of wetlands that lost federal or state protections between 2022 and 2023? Respondents may incorporate their own analysis methodology to identify geographic extent and area of wetlands losing protection or use NCDEQ’s results produced under Section 3(a).
What would be the expected costs to the state associated with ongoing and projected wetlands loss over the next 5 and 10 years?
What regulatory and legislative policy options could be proposed by the research team for NCDEQ to address this issue? What are their estimated social, resilience, economic, and environmental benefits, with specific focus on conservation policies (for example, the reinstitution of conservation tax credits)?

Anticipated deliverables

This is a multi-phased research partnership opportunity.

In Phase I, interested researchers/research teams are invited to submit a Statement of Interest from which NCDEQ will select one or more entities to participate in Phase II, which will consist of developing a detailed Scope of Work (SOW) to address the research questions listed earlier. The Statement of Interest must include: (1) names of participating organizations and principles, (2) expertise and qualifications, (3) tools and resources available to support the study design, (4) areas of any deficiencies or challenges, (5) timeline for producing the SOW, (6) cost to produce a SOW, and (7) any other information that would help NCDEQ select the best candidate(s) to proceed to Phase II.

In Phase II, funding will be available for the selected researcher(s) to develop a detailed SOW. At minimum, the SOW will identify the proposed methodology or study design for addressing each research question, justification for proposed methodology, limitations, timeline, milestones, deliverables, and cost for implementing the study approach.

For Phase III, NCDEQ plans to provide funding to implement the best SOW submitted. This work may be implemented partially or fully depending on funding requests and available agency resources.

Planned use of results

The results are to be used to build knowledge and guide operations, governance, legislation, policy development, and implementation of aspects of Executive Order 305 covered in this opportunity.

Funding

Funding is available for Phase II with some funding available for Phase III. Additional funding may be secured depending on the scope of the proposed study design.

Data

OSP, agency partners, and research partners work together to assess what data would advance a project, whether the data is already collected and available, and/or whether and how to collect and share it.

NC OneMap is a strategic resource providing a collection of authoritative data and web services. It is an organized effort of numerous partners throughout North Carolina, involving local, state, and federal government agencies, the private sector, and academia.
National Wetland Inventory, Division of Coastal Management wetland maps (North Carolina Coastal Region Evaluation of Wetland Significance), and Executive Order 305 Publication of Special Wetland Maps.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sea Level Rise Viewer.