Nutrient credits will be used by HAMM Equities LLC to meet the zero nitrogen/zero phosphorus permit limits for a new sewage treatment plant that the King of Prussia-based developer is constructing to serve a commercial development in Howe Township, Perry County.

Red Barn Trading Company facilitated the trade for the project designed by CEDG Engineers, which is headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pa. McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC of Harrisburg, Pa., counsel for Red Barn, drafted the sales agreements.

DEP’s nutrient reduction goals, requiring millions of pounds of phosphorus and nitrogen decreases, affect new or existing facilities and developments in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Developers, industries and sewage treatment plant operators meet the new discharge limits by buying DEP-approved credits or upgrading to meet the standards.

Since existing technology cannot meet zero nitrogen/zero phosphorus standards, buying sufficient credits to offset the discharge of nutrients is the only way for developers of new sewage facilities to meet DEP requirements.

Red Barn generates credits by working with its extensive agricultural client base to identify farm improvements that reduce phosphorus or nitrogen. Credits are then pooled to meet buyers’ needs.

Red Barn’s first nutrient credit sale, announced in November, was for a Susquehanna County development by developer Daniel Maisano, Dunn Lake LLC. Those credits are being used toward permitting of a residential sewage treatment system.

Currently, Red Barn has more than 380,000 DEP-Certified nutrient credits – the majority of credits on the market – and expects to submit applications for 200,000 additional credits to DEP in the next few weeks.

Link: DEP Nutrient Trading Web Page

2/9/2007