In response to independent critiques of the effectiveness of wetland compensatory mitigation for authorized losses of wetlands and other waters under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Interior, and Transportation released the National Wetlands Mitigation Action Plan on December 26, 2002. The Plan includes 17 tasks that the agencies will complete by the end of 2005 to improve the ecological performance and results of compensatory mitigation.