HB 99: Establishing water pollutant trading – 2021

Rep. John Vander Woulde (R-Nampa) introduced House Bill 99 with the support of the Idaho Water Users Association. The bill would direct the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality to develop specific rules that govern trading water pollution credits between industrial facilities, wastewater treatment plants, agricultural interests, and others.

It would provide an incentive for polluters to reduce their discharges by allowing them to sell their pollution credits.

As the rules are developed by DEQ, it will be critically important that the ratios between pollutants removed and any pollutant credits earned be set so that they promote water quality improvement.