概要

该工作论文描述了切萨皮克湾地区营养贸易的基本原理，并估计了经济利益，包括对农业，废水和雨水部门的潜在利益。

关键发现

Preliminary analyses indicate that the economic benefits of a baywide nutrient trading market for nitrogen could be significant for the agricultural, wastewater, and municipal stormwater sectors in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Depending on credit prices, trading potentially could:

  • Generate new revenue for the agricultural sector and other credit generators at an amount comparable to current levels of annual public funding for agriculture conservation cost-share programs for the bay;

  • 将废水部门的某些人的氮去除成本降低多达60％；和

  • Save the municipal stormwater sector hundreds of millions of dollars per year.

执行摘要

切萨皮克湾是美国最大的河口，是该地区和国家的重要经济，文化和生态资源。从农场，人行道，废水处理厂（WWTPS）以及其他来源将养分的过多径流和养分排放（尤其是氮和磷）都在环境保护局（EPA）的水域列表中置于湾区。这种营养污染负责产生大型藻华，导致海湾“死区”。尽管恢复了数十年的努力，进度仍然很慢，流入海湾的河流和溪流仍然受到污染。

拟议的“ 2009年Chesapeake清洁水和生态系统恢复法”（H.R. 3852/s。1816）将提供显着的新资源和新的资源和新方法来帮助恢复海湾。营养交易就是一种这样的方法。在营养交易市场中，减少其营养径流或排放量低于目标水平的来源可以将其盈余减少或“积分”出售给其他来源。这种方法使那些可以低成本减少营养的人可以向那些面临更高成本减少营养的选择的人出售信用。因此，营养贸易可以允许WWTPS和市政雨水计划等污染来源以具有成本效益的方式满足其污染目标，并可以为农民，企业家以及其他实施低成本污染措施的其他收入机会创造新的收入机会。

The bill would establish a baywide nutrient trading market for the Chesapeake Bay watershed, allowing credits to be exchanged across state lines and among the watershed’s nine major river basins. A baywide nutrient trading market would build on the existing and pending state-level nutrient trading programs in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. A baywide nutrient trading market could help states and sectors more cost-effectively achieve courtordered nutrient pollution limits called Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) that are being developed by the EPA. These TMDLs will set limits on nutrient loads to the bay and its tributaries for the agricultural, wastewater, municipal stormwater, and other sectors.