The potential for effluent trading in the energy industries.

Journal Article · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1998 · Environ. Sci. Policy

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S1462-9011(98)00005-7· OSTI ID:938114

Veil, J A

In January 1996, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a policy statement endorsing wastewater effluent trading in watersheds, hoping to promote additional interest in the subject. The policy describes five types of effluent trades: point source/point source, point source/nonpoint source, pretreatment, intraplant and nonpoint source/nonpoint source. This paper evaluates the feasibility of implementing these types of effluent trading for facilities in the oil and gas, electric power and coal industries. This paper finds that the potential for effluent trading in these industries is limited because trades would generally need to involve toxic pollutants, which can only be traded under a narrow range of circumstances. However, good potential exists for other types of water-related trades that do not directly involve effluents (e.g. wetlands mitigation banking and voluntary environmental projects). The potential for effluent trading in the energy industries and in other sectors would be enhanced if Congress amended the Clean Water Act (CWA) to formally authorize such trading.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-06CH11357
• OSTI ID: 938114
• Report Number(s): ANL/EA/JA-27150
• Journal Information: Environ. Sci. Policy, Journal Name: Environ. Sci. Policy Journal Issue: 1998 Vol. 1; ISSN 1462-9011
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: ENGLISH

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
CHEMICAL EFFLUENTS
CLEAN WATER ACTS
COAL
ELECTRIC POWER
MITIGATION
POLLUTANTS
US EPA
WATERSHEDS
WETLANDS