"The Water Quality Trading Policy I am announcing today recognizes that within a watershed, the most effective and economical way to reduce pollution is to provide incentives to encourage action by those who can achieve reductions easily and cost-effectively," said EPA Administrator Christie Whitman. "Our new Water Quality Trading Policy will result in cleaner water, at less cost, and in less time. It provides the flexibility needed to meet local challenges while demanding accountability to ensure that water quality does improve."
"Trading can be a cheaper answer to solving water quality problems in the United States and around the world," said Paul Faeth, managing director of World Resources Institute. "It creates a win-win solution for everyone involved and the new policy will allow states and others to take advantage of the newly created conservation innovation grants program in the 2002 Farm Bill."
"The States recognize the short and long term benefits of the approaches by EPA and are pleased that the Agency has formalized an effective Trading Policy. The Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators (ASIWPCA) is enthusiastic about the potential for trading or exchanging pollutant credits. The process outlined by EPA provides greater flexibility to the States in addressing extremely complex pollution problems; can result in significant cost savings; provides an opportunity to regulate pollutants on a watershed basis; and accelerates pollutant reduction efforts," said Roberta (Robbi) Savage, Executive Director of ASWIPCA.
"This policy will provide market-based incentives to encourage America's farmers, ranchers and woodlot owners and operators to do even more to maintain and improve the quality of our environment," said Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Bruce Knight. "The conservation programs in the 2002 Farm Bill will help farmers and ranchers improve water quality."
Whitman noted that the agency is providing more than $800,000 in fiscal year 2002 funding support for technical and other support for 11 trading projects around the country.
"Trading can be an important tool for states like Connecticut as we clean up our waters. Working with New York, Connecticut has spearheaded the efforts to keep the Long Island Sound clean. This assistance from the EPA will help Connecticut to continue to improve the Sound's water quality," said Connecticut Governor John G. Rowland.
Water quality trading uses economic incentives to improve water quality. It allows one source to meet its regulatory obligations by using pollutant reductions created by another source that has lower pollution control costs. The standards remain the same, but efficiency is increased and costs are decreased. Under the policy announced today, industrial and municipal facilities would first meet technology control requirements and then could use pollution reduction credits to make further progress towards water quality goals.
In order for a water quality trade to take place, a pollution reduction "credit" must first be created. EPA’s water quality trading policy states that sources should reduce pollution loads beyond the level required by the most stringent water quality based requirements in order to create a pollution reduction "credit" that can be traded. For example, a landowner or a farmer could create credits by changing cropping practices and planting shrubs and trees next to a stream. A municipal wastewater treatment plant then could use these credits to meet water quality limits in its permit.
Joining Whitman at today’s press conference were: Bruce Knight, Chief, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; Paul Faeth, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, World Resources Institute (WRI); Thomas Morrissey, Director of Planning and Standards, Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and Immediate Past President, Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators; and Thomas R. "Buddy" Morgan, General Manager, Water Works and Sanitary Sewer Board, Montgomery, Al., and Board Vice President of the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies.
The policy could save the public hundreds of millions of dollars by advancing more effective, efficient partnerships to clean up and protect watersheds. The policy encourages incentives to maintain high water quality where it exists as well as restoring impaired waters. In addition, the policy describes provisions of credible trading programs that are consistent with the Clean Water Act and federal regulations.
An independent study of three watersheds in Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin looked at the cost of controlling phosphorous loadings.(World Resources Institute 2000) This study found that the cost of reducing phosphorous from controlling point sources - traditional pipe-in-the water dischargers regulated by the Clean Water Act - to be considerably higher than those based on trading between point and non-point sources which are not regulated by the Clean Water Act.
For more information log on to EPA’s Trading website at http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/trading.htm.
Source: EPA
