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Mitigation is often required to offset adverse environmental impacts from activities authorized under federal statutes, including NOAA authorities.  Landowners and mitigation providers have asked for more predictability and consistency in mitigation actions taken by NOAA and other federal agencies under a variety of statutes. NOAA does not have a national policy on mitigation, and therefore mitigation approaches vary from region to region and program to program. A NOAA Mitigation Policy (Policy) is intended to improve the predictability and consistency sought by regulated entities, and will also reduce the risk of uncompensated impacts to trust resources due to ineffective mitigation. The Policy is also intended to facilitate the establishment of environmental banks -- banks that provide mitigation for the requirements of multiple authorities -- which improves the efficiency of regulatory compliance.