What is the Environmental Trading Network (ETN)? 

The ETN is an international clearinghouse for information on developing and existing water quality trading projects and other environmental markets in the United States and around the world.

The ETN has led or participated in a variety of market-based environmental market projects since its inception. In the Great Lakes, these projects focused on issues of water quality and water quantity and how markets or market-like mechanisms could be used to help maintain the balance between use and protection of water resources (see Water Quality Trading and Water Quantity Management).  More recently, it has primarily focused on accumulating and posting up-to-date information relevant to water quality trading program development in the U.S. and internationally. High level information is also posted for other environmental markets including wetland and habitat banking. 

 Goals & Foundation

The goals of the ETN are to obtain, generate and disseminate information on trading programs, increase public awareness and support for trading, and facilitate implementation of programs established by state and federal environmental regulations through information sharing. 

The ETN originated as the Great Lakes Trading Network in 1996 to support a Water Quality Trading Demonstration Project in the Kalamazoo River Basin of Michigan. With funding from the Great Lakes Protection Fund, its purpose was to share new information on trading within the broader Great Lakes Basin.  Immediately, there was national interest in the subject as several other ongoing trading pilot projects in the U.S. desired to be a part of this information exchange.  As such, the ETN took on its present name and form in 1998.  Since that time, the network has maintained its principal focus on water quality trading, though other environmental market information has been added over the years.

The ETN has been maintained through past project funding and with in-kind support from Kieser & Associates, LLC (K&A). Mark Kieser of K&A has voluntarily served as Acting Chair of the Network since 2000.  Contact Us for more information.

Mark S. Kieser

Acting Chair, ETN

Senior Scientist

Kieser & Associates, LLC

536 E. Michigan Ave.

Suite 300

Kalamazoo, MI 49007

Phone: 269-344-7117

Fax: 269-344-2493

Email: mkieser@kieser-associates.com