NWEA and NEDC  Urge EPA’s Early Involvement in Oregon Water Quality Trading Rules

Citing grave concerns about Oregon’s Clean Water Act permitting program, NWEA and the Northwest Environmental Defense Center (NEDC) sent a letter to the U.S. EPA asking for its early involvement in Oregon water quality trading rules adoption.

The letter highlighted two major issues.  First, NWEA and NEDC point out that EPA is required to review, and approve or disapprove, Oregon’s trading rules once they are adopted.  The letter reminds EPA that the adoption of trading rules is a major modification of Oregon’s pollution discharge permitting program that requires federal action.  In addition, the letter points out that the use of trading to meet Clean Water Act permit terms adds a level of uncertainty not usually a part of the permitting program.  The organizations point out that since “the content of the proposed rules is inconsistent with the applicable law, they “urge EPA’s early involvement in the development of these rules.”

The second issue highlighted by the letter is that inconsistency with federal law.  Highlighting issues raised in previous letters to EPA about Oregon’s inadequate water quality credit trading program, this correspondence discusses Oregon’s failure to ensure that permits with trading are consistent with Total Maximum Daily Loads, the schemes that allocate levels of pollution reduction needed to bring polluted waters into compliance with water quality standards.

The letter also mentions problems with deciding the “baseline” requirements that landowners are expected to achieve prior to their being paid by dischargers to control pollution run-off and trading ratios used to account for uncertainties inherent in calculating those reductions.

For more information visit NWEA’s Water Quality Trading page also see U.S. EPA’s Water Quality Trading