Washington Post: Nutrient Trading has “Promise”

The Washington Post Editorial Board published a commentary Sept. 30, 2012 in support of nutrient trading as a strategy for reducing pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. The approach, which has environmental groups split, is meant to reduce the 250 pounds of nitrogen and 20 million pounds of phosphorus entering the bay each year from farms, storm drains, and water treatment plants.

“Pollution trading takes advantage of the fact that it is easier to cut pollution in some places than in others. A farmer who can cheaply cut his runoff beyond what regulators require could be awarded credits and sell those to a nearby water treatment plant that would have to install very expensive equipment to meet its required cuts in pollution. The farmer makes money, the plant saves money and the EPA’s pollution cap is met efficiently,” says the Post.

But the commentary also acknowledges the skeptics that say it will be difficult to track and monitor whether the system is deployed fairly and serves to reduce pollution levels. But says the Post, “More traditional anti-pollution measures haven’t worked. All the more reason to try a strategy that could be cheaper and more popular — and, therefore, more politically sustainable.”