HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST), working in conjunction with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), will host auctions this fall for the sale and purchase of nutrient credits in the Susquehanna and Potomac watersheds.
There will be two “spot” auctions of verified credits, applicable to the 2011 compliance year (i.e. Oct. 1, 2010-Sept. 30, 2011). Both auctions will afford wastewater treatment plants in these two watersheds to purchase credits as a means of meeting their nitrogen and phosphorous discharge limits for the compliance year.
PENNVEST is conducting these auctions as a component of Pennsylvania’s nutrient credit trading program to encourage the trading of nutrient credits in the Susquehanna and Potomac watersheds.
Program
The Nutrient Credit Trading program provides a cost-effective means for facilities subject to meet limits for nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment to meet those limits by working with other facilities, with nonpoint sources, or both.
Schedule
The schedule for the auctions is as follows:
Oct. 5: application information from potential auction participants due to PENNVEST
Oct. 12: application information finalized by PENNVEST and potential auction participants
Oct. 26: PENNVEST informs potential auction participants on their eligibility to participate in the auction
Nov. 2: PENNVEST conducts first spot auction
Nov. 4: PENNVEST announces first spot auction results
Nov. 9: PENNVEST conducts second spot auction
Nov. 11: PENNVEST announces second spot auction results
Informational meeting
To acquaint users with the electronic auction platform, an information meeting will be held Sept. 14 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time. This meeting will be a WebEx event.
To access it via the Internet, go to the following link and register prior to the event: https://copa.webex.com/copa/onstage/g.php?d=642046680&t=a.
To access by phone at the time of the meeting, use the following:
Call-in toll-free number: 877-669-3239.
Call-in toll number: 408-600-3600.
In both cases, the event number is: 642 046 680.
PENNVEST anticipates charging buyers and sellers a fee of 2.5 cents per credit as a means of offsetting the administrative costs it incurs in conducting these auctions.
For more information, contact Paul Marchetti at PENNVEST, 717-783-4496, pmarchetti@pa.gov; or Ann Roda at DEP, 717-787-4726, aroda@pa.gov.
