THE ENVIRONMENTAL TRADING NETWORK

The ETN is a national clearinghouse for water quality trading projects. It was initially established as the Great Lakes Trading Network, an adjunct to maximize the regional impacts of the Kalamazoo River Water Quality Trading Demonstration Project in May 1998 (Michigan). Funding for the Kalamazoo Project and the ETN has been provided by the Great Lakes Protection Fund. Today the ETN includes participants from many of the active and emerging trading programs across the country.

The ETN has hosts a series of monthly conference calls, has sponsored "Markets for the New Millennium: How Can Water Quality Trading Work For You", a two day national conference in Chicago, Illinois, and has cosponsored the National Forum on Water Quality Trading. Through these avenues, the ETN has provided a forum for the discussion and exchange of information pertaining to the development and implementation of water quality trading programs across the nation, and globally.

The ETN has identified key policy and regulatory issues associated with trading and provided comments to EPA on its proposed total maximum daily load (TMDL), national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) permit program and final water quality trading policy. Participants have conducted a crosscut analysis and documented the goals, drivers, barriers, solutions and lessons learned from a number of trading programs. The issues considered by the ETN: open and closed trading strategies, integration with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits and total maximum daily loads (TMDLs), baselines, trading ratios, cap and allocation mechanisms and how to establish nonpoint source accountability. This information is highly transferable to other programs.

The ETN is the only non-profit organization devoted solely to the development and implementation of successful water quality trading programs across the nation. The goals of the ETN are to facilitate implementation of the federal Clean Water Act, optimize the cost of improving water quality, support local watershed management initiatives, create incentives for voluntary point and nonpoint source programs, and, increase the level of public awareness and support for trading.

Review the ETN Summary Flier.

ARTICLE OF INCORPORATION

The ETN has recently sought non-profit status. (See Articles of Incorporation.) This incorporation and the growth of the network heralded the transformation of the Great Lakes Trading Network to the Enviornmental Trading Network. The new name reflects the Network's growing scope. 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Board of Directors of the ETN is being formed. If you are interested in serving on the Board, please contact Mark S. Kieser, Acting Chair of the ETN. 

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SERVICES

ETN serves as a Clearinghouse

• For publicly accessible information on water quality trading and other environmental programs that utilize market-based approaches to improve water quality, air quality and wildlife habitat, as well as support and strengthen existing environmental programs, policies and regulations.
• To disseminate information and facilitate public discussion on existing and proposed state, federal and international regulations and laws related to market-based environmental programs.

ETN also serves as a Facilitator and Leader

• To conduct, compile and disseminate basic and applied research to identify, evaluate, demonstrate and develop policies, strategies, programs, mechanisms and infrastructure associated with or necessary for the development and implementation of water, wetland, air, endangered species, and other environmental markets, including secondary markets such as flood storage that may be created to insure against risk and uncertainty.

As available, funds will be dispersed through the ETN for projects that test and analyze public policies and experimental program design elements focusing on market-based environmental strategies.

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CONFERENCE CALLS

The Network hosts monthly conference calls. Conference calls are typically held the last Wednesday of each month from 11:00 am to noon, Eastern Time.

The phone number for the conference call is 630-536-0905, room #1232. The conference is limited to 25 participants. Therefore, if you wish to participate, be sure to phone promptly at 11:00 a.m. EST. Follow the links below for minutes from ETN calls.

See ETN Projects & Activites-->Monthly Conference Calls for call summaries.

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CONTACT US

Questions about the Environmental Trading Network (ETN)

Mark S. Kieser
Acting ETN Acting Chair and Senior Scientist
Kieser & Associates
536 E. Michigan Ave.
Suite 300
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
Phone: 269-344-7117
Fax: 269-344-2493
email: mkieser@envtn.org

Questions about this website:

Email to Webmaster

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