62.1-44.19:12 - Legislative findings and purposes.
§ 62.1-44.19:12. Legislative findings and purposes.
The 2000 Chesapeake Bay Agreement and related multistate cooperative andregulatory initiatives (i) establish allocations for nitrogen and phosphorusdelivered to the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries to meet applicablewater quality standards and (ii) place caps on the loads of these nutrientsthat may be discharged into the Chesapeake Bay watershed. These initiativeswill require public and private point source dischargers of nitrogen andphosphorus to achieve significant additional reductions of these nutrients tomeet the cap load allocations. The General Assembly finds and determines thatadoption and utilization of a watershed general permit and market-based pointsource nutrient credit trading program will assist in (a) meeting these capload allocations cost-effectively and as soon as possible in keeping with the2010 timeline and objectives of the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement, (b)accommodating continued growth and economic development in the Chesapeake Baywatershed, and (c) providing a foundation for establishing market-basedincentives to help achieve the Chesapeake Bay Program's nonpoint sourcereduction goals.
(2005, cc. 708, 710.)