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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Bobby Cochran, 503-681-5112, info@willamettepartnership.org Eric Sprague, 443-837-5248, esprague@pinchot.org
New report provides guidelines for building a successful water quality trading program
(Washington, DC -- August 13, 2012) Water quality is one of the most significant environmental issues facing watersheds across the country. States have used different forms of water quality trading over the last decades as a flexible tool for meeting water quality goals. This report gathers those successes, failures, and valuable lessons learned from pioneering groups to help new trading programs lay the groundwork for success. A new report, titled, “In it Together: A How-To Reference for Building Point-Nonpoint Water Quality Trading Programs,” (http://willamettepartnership.org/in-it-together/) lays out guidelines for groups who want to build water-quality trading programs. “In It Together,” was written by the Willamette Partnership, in coordination with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Environmental Markets, the Pinchot Institute, and the World Resources Institute. It is a three-part report aimed to help groups who are in the planning stages of implementing a trading or offset program reduce start-up times, increase efficiencies, and establish the groundwork for long-term success. Part 1 presents an overview and current status of point-nonpoint water quality trading programs, Part 2 is a design reference for building and operating water quality trading programs, and Part 3 are case study write-ups for water quality trading programs in North Carolina, Pacific Northwest, and Chesapeake Bay. A companion paper titled “Opportunities for Action” proposes actions that federal and state authorities can take to help water quality programs launch, and most importantly, sustain themselves through to realized improvements in water quality.
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The Pinchot Institute for Conservation advances conservation and sustainable natural resource management by developing innovative, practical, and broadly supported solutions to conservation challenges and opportunities. The Pinchot Institute accomplishes this through non-partisan research, education, and technical assistance on key issues influencing the future of conservation and sustainable natural resource management.
The Willamette Partnership (willamettepartnership.org) is a diverse coalition of conservation, city, business, farm, and science leaders in the Willamette River basin who are working to shift the way people think about, value, manage, and regulate the environment. The World Resources Institute (wri.org) is a global environmental think tank that goes beyond research to put ideas into action. WRI works with governments, companies, and civil society to build solutions to urgent environmental challenges. |
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