The Lycoming County commissioners Thursday approved agreements to allow the nutrient credits generated by county landowners to be sold at an upcoming auction.
The agreements call for about 1,100 credits to be sold by the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority, or PennVest, in early November, according to county Environmental Planner Megan Lehman.
The credits were created through pollution-reducing conservation practices implemented by landowners Walter Worthington, Michael and Venessa Sherman and Arthur and Elke Plaxton, Lehman said.
The nutrient credit trading program was developed as a way of providing "point source" pollution generators, such as wastewater treatment plants, with an alternative to plant upgrades as a way of meeting state and federal pollution standards associated with the Chesapeake Bay cleanup initiative.
For example, if a treatment plant permitted to discharge 1,000 pounds of nitrogen per year discharged 1,100 pounds, it could buy 100 nitrogen credits to bring it into compliance with regulations.
The environmental benefit of the program is that it encourages farmers to use conservation practices that reduce pollution by providing revenue.
The credits will be applied to the 2011 compliance year, Lehman said. That will allow treatment plants that have exceeded pollution levels this year to come into compliance by buying the credits, she said.
The commissioners approved grant applications and contracts to funnel funding to the West Branch Drug and Alcohol Abuse Commission to pay for services the commission provides the county.
The commissioners approved subrecipient monitoring contracts to provide the commission with $674,000 to pay for Behavioral Health Services Initiative services, and about $240,000 for the commission to provide counseling services for clients waiting to be placed on Medical Assistance.
Subrecipient monitoring contracts ensure activities paid for through grants are in line with state or federal criteria attached to the grants.
The commissioners also approved an application to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency seeking about $100,000 to enhance services through the county treatment court.
The commissioners also approved an application to the PCCD for a $130,000 Criminal Justice Advisory Board grant.
The grant will help pay for a fingerprint scanner that will be used in conjunction with photo imaging equipment used by Adult Probation, security upgrades in the lobby of the county Court House, and services for at-risk youths provided by area non-profit agencies, according to Peter Purcaro, county director of court services.
