The January 19 Rachel Carson Forum on the Future of the Environment will examine the potential of pollution trading programs to make improvements in water quality at lower costs.

The forum will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Rachel Carson Building Auditorium, 4th and Market streets, Harrisburg.

The speakers will be Scott Van de Mark of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and Dr. James Shortle from Penn State University.

The primary objective of trading is to achieve nutrient pollution reduction goals cost-effectively by allowing pollution sources with high control costs to meet their regulatory obligations by purchasing environmentally equivalent pollution reductions from sources with lower costs.

This talk will explore the theory and practice of nutrient trading. The program will also review nutrient trading experience in Pennsylvania on the Conestoga River.

Questions about the Forum should be directed to Don Brown at brownd@state.pa.us.

1/13/2006