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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.
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
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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.
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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
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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 & Activities-->Monthly
Conference Calls for call summaries.
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CONTACT
DIRECTORY
Click
here
for the ETN member directory. You can join the directory there.
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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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