The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy and Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committees will hold a joint hearing on September 17 on the issue of nutrient credit trading that will help reduce the cost of complying with clean water mandates.

The Committees are asking for comments on Senate Bill 1493 (Vance-R-Cumberland) which would create a Nutrient Credit Trading Bank and provides enhancements to the state’s Nutrient Credit Trading program. (A companion bill was also introduced in House Bill 2717 (DePasquale-D-York).)

Scheduled to testify are: Cathy Curran Myers, DEP Deputy Secretary for Water Management, John Brosious, PA Municipal Authorities Association, Robert Fisher, Pa Builders Association, Joel Rotz, PA Farm Bureau, Matt Ehrhart, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Alexandra Chiaruttini, Stock & Leader and Edwin Winzeler, Materials Matters, Inc.

The Nutrient Credit Trading Bank is part of the Fair Share for Clean Water Plan promoted by a coalition of over 40 groups supporting creative implementation strategies for complying with Chesapeake Bay and other watershed-based clean water cleanup mandates.

A portion of the PA Fair Share Plan that provides funding to upgrade wastewater treatment plants was adopted as part of the budget in July, however, funding needed for farmers to meet the mandates and create tradable nutrient credits was not adopted. Those elements include:

· $50 million in direct cost share aid to farmers to install conservation practices ($35 for REAP farm tax credits and $15 million in cost share grants);

· $10 million to county conservation district to expand technical assistance to farmers;

· $10 million to restore cuts to the Department of Agriculture budget in farm programs; and

· Proposed reforms to the state’s nutrient credit trading program that will help to make it a viable alternative to provide for both environmental improvements to the Bay and sufficient future sewage capacity for new development.

The House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee held a hearing on the Fair Share for Clean Water Plan and nutrient credit trading on August 20 in State College.

Sen. Mary Jo White (R-Venango) serves as Majority Chair of the Environmental Committee and Sen. Ray Musto (D-Luzerne) serves as Minority Chair.

Sen. Mike Brubaker (R-Lancaster) serves as Majority Chair of the Agriculture Committee and Sen. Mike O’Pake (D-Berks) serves as Minority Chair.

The agenda and later the testimony and a video of the hearing will be available on the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee webpage.

For more information on credit trading, visit DEP’s Nutrient Trading webpage,

NewsClip: Lycoming County To Study Nutrient Trading Program Option

Link: Fair Share Coalition: New Budget Supports Wastewater Plants, Farmers Left Out

DEP’s Nutrient Trading Webpage

9/12/2008