Topic: Fresh Water

External News

EPRI and First Climate Bring Water Quality Credits to Environmental Stewardship Markets

Source: Yahoo! Finance
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and First Climate announced today an agreement that will move credits from EPRI’s Ohio River Basin Water Quality Trading Project to international credit trading markets. This is a unique collaborative between a water quality project and an environmental asset credit broker to provide access to some of the world’s largest environmental credit buyers.
External News

EPA Encourages Market-Based Approach To Reduce Runoff To Great Lakes

Source: WFYI Indianapolis
The Environmental Protection Agency is offering $14 million to fund projects that help reduce harmful runoff into Great Lakes waterways through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. That includes green infrastructure, farmer-led outreach and education, manure management on farms, and a market-based approach called “water quality trading.”
External News

The Water Marketplace

Source: NPR Planet Money
After seven years of drought in California that drained aquifers and brought many farmers to the brink, legislators in Sacramento crafted a bunch of rules governing water usage. Those rules, many of which kick in next year, cap how much water farmers and cities can use.
External News

USDA Announces Availability of $12.5 Million in Conservation Innovation Grants

Source: Natural Resources Conservation Service
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is accepting proposals through July 30, 2019, for national Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG). CIG projects inspire creative problem-solving that boosts production on farms, ranches, and private forests — ultimately, they improve water quality, soil health, and wildlife habitat. All U.S.-based non-federal entities and individuals are eligible to apply.
Commentary

This Creative Tax is a Good Bet for Colorado’s Water Future. Here’s Why.

Source: EDF Growing Returns
It’s a rare opportunity when new money bubbles up for water projects in the Centennial State. But that is exactly what is happening as a result of a bill approved this week with strong bipartisan support in the Legislature. The bill, HB 1327, proposes to raise new money to protect and conserve water in Colorado by legalizing sports betting and imposing a 10% tax on its revenue.
Reports

Catalyzing the Blue Revolution: How Investors Can Turn the Tide on Aquaculture

Source: The Nature Conservancy
A large investment opportunity is emerging in sustainable aquaculture, and The Nature Conservancy has partnered with Encourage Capital to create a guide that reveals how investors can help meet the demand for sustainable seafood while achieving competitive financial returns.
Reports

SGMA’s First Groundwater Market — An Early Case Study from Fox Canyon

Source: Groundwater Resource Hub
The Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency is the first groundwater sustainability agency to pursue a groundwater market as a tool to decrease water demand when implementing its Groundwater Sustainability Plan. This white paper outlines their experience — the steps taken and lessons learned — in developing the first groundwater market to emerge under California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
Oyster cage being lowered from boat

"Rappahannock River Oyster Company in Topping, VA" / Chesapeake Bay Program / CC BY-NC 2.0

Financing the Aquaculture Revolution

Kalyani Basu
The rise of aquaculture may hold promise to mitigate the environmental pressures of overfishing wild populations, and the food scarcity issues resulting from the rising global consumption of fish. However, to achieve these benefits, the aquaculture industry’s growth must be coupled with an increase in sustainable practices.
River in Maine

How to Get an Impact Investor's Attention

Jeffrey Conti
Conservation managers and entrepreneurs who are looking to make their projects stand out as investment opportunities should be sure to supply the information that investors want. Impact investing experts interviewed by Conservation Finance Network expressed a surprising lack of interest in most impact metrics and measurements aside from carbon sequestration. They instead indicated that they prioritize honest assessments of risk. They also value an understanding of how an investment opportunity can fit into a larger portfolio.