The Department of Environmental Protection is now accepting comments on a re-draft of the “Trading of Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Credits- Policy and Guidelines.”

Comments are due December 15.

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.

Documents posted for public comment include:

· Trading of Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Credits- Policy and Guidelines

· Appendix A- Nutrient Criteria Specific for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

· Attachment 1: Point Source Allocation Strategy

· Attachment 2: Overview of Wastewater Planning Program Procedures

· Attachment 3: Overview of the Agriculture Sector's participation in Nutrient Trading

DEP will accept comments submitted to the Water Planning Office, P. O. Box 2063, Harrisburg, PA 17105-2063 or by e-mail to Ann Smith at annsmith@state.pa.us .

Questions regarding this guidance document should be directed to Ann Smith at 717-772-4785 or send email to: Ann Smith at annsmith@state.pa.us.

Links: DEP Asks for Comments on Interim Nutrient, Sediment Trading Policy

11/17/2006