The USFWS determines either the number of eagles, number of pole retrofits, or a dollar amount an applicant of an incidental eagle take permit is required to complete as an offset.

Currently the Eagle ILF Program defines 1 mitigation credit = a power pole retrofit providing 30 years of avoided loss or 10 years of avoided loss. Costs for each credit are based on the full-cost accounting to retrofit an individual pole and maintain retrofits for a minimum of 30 years.