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Water quality trading incentives in Great Lakes funding

EPA’s latest round of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding includes a new category to accelerate water quality trading models within at-risk watersheds.

Office of Water Assistant Administrator David Ross says water quality trading could accelerate environmental restoration efforts by incentivizing farmers to implement conservation practices and reduce nutrient and sediment losses for credits.  Credits could then be sold to wastewater treatment facilities or others with restricted nutrient discharges.

“Agriculture, for example, can often reduce nutrients more economically than cities or other industries.  What we’re trying to do is provide an economic incentive for agriculture to reduce excess nitrogen and phosphorus from reaching our surface waters.”        

EPA is awarding $14 million in grants to the Great Lakes region to improve water quality and reduce excessive nutrients.  Of that, $1.5 million is available for four projects that create water quality trading or other market-based approaches for nutrient reduction.

Applications are due June 12 and will awarded in the fall.

EPA announces GLRI Funding

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