Maryland Water Quality Trading Advisory Committee

The Maryland Water Quality Trading Advisory Committee held its first meeting in January 2016. The Alliance’s Executive Director Al Todd serves on this advisory group formed to help Maryland develop a nutrient trading and offsets policy to accelerate the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay while reducing costs to local governments and citizens. Trading and the restoration projects it promises may also boost private sector green jobs. The Alliance believes trading and offsets could be a valuable tool for water quality improvement in the Bay and its tributaries, it faces some difficult technical and policy questions. The Committee serves as an ongoing consultative group to provide direction to the overall trading program and to oversee further enhancement of the trading infrastructure. Its first task will be to review and refine a comprehensive Maryland Trading Manual by the end of April.[one_full class=”acb-img-frame-fullwidthpage” ]

The 32-member committee is made up of stakeholders representing a broad range of fields and interests, including the regulated community, local governments, federal and state government agencies, the MD General Assembly, the academic and technical community, agriculture, business and the environmental community. The committee members’ knowledge and insight will be critical to the development and implementation of a trading program that boosts progress, with clear and verifiable results.

Nutrient trading is an important element of Maryland’s approach for restoring the Bay, especially for those sectors facing the highest costs to reduce pollution. Businesses, landowners, and municipalities may be able to meet a portion of their responsibilities by purchasing offsets or credits created by others.

Learn more about the Committee and its work at mde.state.md.us.