PENNVEST, DEP Announce First Nutrient Credit Trading Auction for 2012

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority and the Department of Environmental Protection announced today they will host an auction March 21, 2012, for the sale and purchase of nutrient credits in the Susquehanna and Potomac watersheds.

The auction will be a “forward” auction, where certified credits will be sold at auction, delivered later and applied to 2012 and future compliance years. The auction will afford wastewater treatment plants in these two watersheds the opportunity to purchase credits as a means of meeting their nitrogen and phosphorus discharge limits for the compliance years.

The Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) is hosting the auctions to encourage the trading of nutrient credits in the Susquehanna and Potomac watersheds. DEP’s nutrient credit trading program provides a cost-effective means for facilities that are subject to nitrogen and phosphorus limits to meet those limits by working with other facilities, non-point sources or both.

PENNVEST has chosen Markit Inc. to provide the platform for enrollment and eligibility, auctions and registry services. Markit, a financial information services company, has provided operations and infrastructure services to environmental programs worldwide.

PENNVEST anticipates charging buyers and sellers 2.5 cents per credit to offset administrative costs.

For more information, visit www.pennvest.state.pa.us and click on “nutrient credit trading” on the left side of the page; or call 717-783-6776 (PENNVEST) or 717-772-4785 (DEP).