|
|
News & Notes December 2006
Draft PACD Strategic Goals are Available for Review
The PACD Executive Board met on November 17, 2006 to
create new draft strategic goals for the association. This was done
in accordance with the strategic planning process approved by the
PACD Executive Council on July 27, 2006.
Each of the draft PACD strategic goals is based on input from districts
provided during the Fall PACD Region Meetings. The funding goal represents
the funding needed to meet the strategic goals. All of the raw data
received at the region meetings is available on the PACD website:
http://www.pacd.org/about/strategicplan/planning.htm.
Please take the draft goals to your next district board meeting for
review and discussion. The draft strategic goals will go before the
PACD Executive Council for review on January 19, 2007, during the
PACD Winter Meeting in State College, PA. If the goals are approved
by the PACD Executive Council in January, PACD will develop an action
plan that incorporates specific steps to achieve each goal.
Please feel free to contact PACD Executive Director Susan Marquart
at 717-238-7223 or susan-marquart@pacd.org
with any questions.
DRAFT
PACD Strategic Goals
PACD Mission Statement
The PACD is a non-profit organization that supports, enhances, and
promotes Pennsylvania's Conservation Districts and their programs.
Strategic Goals
1. By December 2008, PACD will obtain dedicated funding
for the Conservation District Fund Allocation Program (CDFAP) and
the Chapter 105 program; PACD will obtain full reimbursement for districts
for eligible district administrative assistance costs as identified
by the CDFAP.
2. By December 2007, PACD will define the purpose of a conservation
district environmental education program.
3. By December 2007, PACD will define the role of conservation districts
in stormwater management.
4. On an on-going basis, PACD will continue to forward information
to conservation districts on alternative funding opportunities for
districts.
5. By June 2008, PACD will identify the role of conservation districts
in interacting with local governments and the role districts play
in counties experiencing high levels of urban growth.
6. On an ongoing basis, PACD will continue to work with the state
Envirothon as indicated in the current Letter of Understanding (LOU).
7. By July 2007, PACD will expand the organization's role in government
relations and policy; continue PACD Capitol Day with increased legislator
and conservation district participation.
8. By June 2008, PACD will create a conservation district marketing
tool-kit for districts, to be updated annually.
9. By June 2007, PACD will create a long range planning group to think
about the long range viability of districts and PACD.
10. On an ongoing basis, PACD will continue to seek grant and other
funding opportunities to coordinate training for district staff in
cooperation with other members of the conservation partnership.
Nutrient Trading Moves Forward
The PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
recently published the Draft Trading of Nutrient and Sediment Reduction
Credits - Policy and Guidelines. DEP will accept comments on the draft
until December 15, 2006. PACD has worked with DEP and numerous other
interested parties and organizations to create workable and understandable
guidelines to promote the program. These guidelines can be found at
http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/chesapeake/cwp/view.asp?
a=3&Q=442886&chesapeakeNav=|29958|.
Nutrient and Sediment Trading is a voluntary program where nutrient
and sediment reduction credits are generated and then traded, or sold,
to potential buyers who need to meet water quality requirements. The
intent is to provide a program geared toward maintaining and improving
water quality using market mechanisms to produce nutrient reductions
at lower costs. The Policy deals primarily with nitrogen, phosphorous,
and sediment. Trades must involve comparable credits (eg. nitrogen
must be traded for nitrogen), and all parties must meet minimum trading
requirements.
All trades must be within one watershed body. Establishing trading
areas that coincide with watershed boundaries ensures that trades
will affect the same watershed body or stream segment, and that water
quality standards are achieved and maintained throughout the trading
area and contiguous waters.
All sources must meet legal baseline requirements before nutrient
and sediment reductions will be considered eligible for trade. For
point sources the baseline is the effluent limitation, over the applicable
time period, expressed by a National Pollution Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES) permit. The discharge must be under the effluent limit
in order to generate tradable credits.
For non-point sources, legal baseline depends on the type of non-point
source. For agricultural operations legal baseline is compliance with
Chapter 102 Erosion and Sedimentation Regulations, Chapter 91.36 (Agricultural
Operations), Act 38 Nutrient Management Regulations, and Chapter 92
(Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations). Additionally, non-point
agricultural sources must meet threshold requirements of either a
thirty-five foot buffer, or a one hundred foot setback, or a 20% reduction
in the farm's overall nutrient balance beyond baseline compliance.
According to the guidelines, "The trading program is not intended
to accelerate loss of productive farmland. Therefore, credits will
not be generated under this policy from the purchase of idling whole
or substantial portions of farms to provide nutrient credits for use
offsite. Individuals are eligible for nutrient credit generation when
converting one land use to another, where the post construction reduced
nutrient loading can be established."
Credits must be expressed in pounds per year and will be valid for
one water year, October 1 through September 30 and cannot be banked
for future years. Nutrient credits may be discounted to account for
factors such as location, reserve, uncertainty, or special needs.
Trading ratios may need to be considered and used as appropriate to
ensure that trading provides the desired level of nutrient reductions
or other water quality benefits.
The DEP realizes that there is some level of uncertainty in the ultimate
success of nutrient and sediment reduction that will serve as the
basis of tradable credits. To address this uncertainty the DEP will
establish a threshold above legal baseline for generation of credits,
conservatively calculate credits, create a credit reserve by requiring
a percentage of any trade to be held in a credit bank, and conduct
verification through sampling and monitoring.
The World Resources Institute (WRI) has created a NutrientNet tool.
NutrientNet is an online source comprised of tools which estimate
the amount of credits needed or generated by a particular practice,
and a marketplace where users can buy or sell credits. A demonstration
of NutrientNet will be available at the PACD winter meeting.
Several nutrient trades have already been approved by DEP. Six of
these approved trades have been awarded to the Red Barn Trading Company
and primarily consist of exporting poultry litter. Another approved
trade was granted to the Milton Regional Sewer Authority who proposes
to generate total nitrogen and total phosphorus credits under its
NPDES permit through the "over treatment" of its effluent
so that its discharge is below the cap limits established. Finally,
Mt. Joy Borough Authority will begin working with a local farmer for
an agricultural nutrient trade for the implementation of no-till on
930 acres of farmland. The credit calculations assume a direct change
in practice from conventional till to no-till.
Questions regarding the Draft Trading of Nutrient and Sediment Reduction
Credits - Policy and Guidelines should be directed to DEP's Ann Smith
at 717-772-4785 or annsmith@state.pa.us.
Page 2>
|
