Lycoming County commissioners this week approved a plan to determine whether nutrient credit trading between farmers who install conservation practices and wastewater treatment plants in the county can be used successfully to make complying with Chesapeake Bay clean water mandates less expensive.

The study will be put together by LandStudies, Inc., which will analyzed areas in the county where nutrient credits can be generated, Brinjac Engineering, which will review the upgrades planned for wastewater plants to see if they are necessary, and Delta Development, which will seek federal and state funding to help implement the trading plan.

Williamsport alone is facing a cost of over $70 million in upgrades to reduce nutrient loading to the Susquehanna River.

Lycoming County commissioners initiated this project to see if they can reduce the cost of comply with the mandates by looking over the entire county and upgrading those wastewater plants where it is most cost effective and look to use nutrient credits to further reduce that cost.

In the last three years, only four nutrient credit trades have been approved by the Department of Environmental Protection, leading the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, PA Municipal Authorities Association, PA Farm Bureau and the PA Conservation Districts Association to recommend improvements to the program to promote its use.

Creating a Nutrient Credit Trading Bank to promote trading is part of the Fair Share for Clean Water Plan supported 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 and the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy and Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committees will hold a hearing on the issue September 17.

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

NewsClip: Lycoming County To Study Nutrient Trading Program Option

9/12/2008