The Department of Environmental Protection formally published notice of its interim final guidance creating a nutrient and sediment reduction trading policy. DEP is asking for comments by November 18.

The trading policy is designed to lower the cost of complying with nutrient reduction requirements, like in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, by creating credits for every pound of nutrients reduced that can be traded to parties that are required to reduce nutrients.

By creating this credit market, sellers of credits from cheaper nutrient reduction techniques like installing best management practices on farms can be traded to buyers who would otherwise have to install expensive technology on wastewater treatment facilities to comply.

The net result is a lower cost of removing nutrients.

Written comments should be submitted to DEP’s Water Planning Office, P. O. Box 2063, Harrisburg, PA 17105-2063 or by e-mail to Ann Smith at annsmith@state.pa.us or Andrew Zemba at azemba@state.pa.us .

For copies of the interim final policy and the accompanying appendix, visit the DEP Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategy webpage. Questions regarding the interim final technical guidance document should be directed to Ann Smith or Andrew Zemba at 717- 772-4785 or by sending email to the addresses noted above.

9/30/2005