Md. Code Regs. 15.20.12.07 - Approval and Registration of Credits
A. A person who applies to the Department for
approval of agricultural nonpoint source nutrient or sediment credits shall:
(1) Complete and sign a Certification and
Registration Form provided by the Department and furnish a copy of the Farm
Summary Worksheet generated by MNTT;
(2) Provide a copy of the current NMP;
and
(3) Provide a copy of the
current SCWQP with a map identifying the location and boundaries of the
operation and showing field identification numbers, field acreage, and the
location of BMPs, together with the specifics of any credit generation
proposal.
B. The
Department shall review each application to determine the following:
(1) That the baseline requirements are met as
provided in this chapter;
(2) That
all credit generating improvements qualify for certification;
(3) That both the landowner and the operator
have consented in writing to all of the requirements under this chapter,
including but not limited to inspection or suspension or revocation of credits
by the Department and the waiver of confidentiality for any information the
operation submits to the Department, including but not limited to the
operator's NMP and SCWQP;
(4) That
all legal and regulatory compliance requirements are met; and
(5) That credit calculations and all other
information are correct and that the applicant has complied with all the
requirements of this chapter.
C. The Department or its designee shall visit
any farm operation to verify the baseline requirements and that the applicant's
credit generation proposal is effective and appropriate in reducing the
discharge of nutrients or sediment from the farm. In addition, credits
certified pending implementation of a BMP or other improvement are subject to
further inspection to verify that the proposed generating practice is in place
and functioning correctly.
D.
Proposals for improvements for generating credits will be reviewed by the
Department and may include requirements for demonstration projects, the
collection of sufficient data to evaluate results, and any other information
needed to determine the validity of the credits. In some cases, development of
the specifications and certification of the credits could be a multi-year
process.
E. The Department may
issue a pre-certification of credits based on pending implementation of the
proposed improvements.
F. The
Department shall only certify credits once the practice or practices generating
those credits are installed and fully operational.
G. Upon approval and verification of any
application for agricultural nutrient and sediment credits, the Department
shall assign each credit a unique registration number and provide for their
registration on the Department's online trading registry.
H. The Department shall document the basis
for denying an application and provide this information in writing to the
applicant.
I. As required by law,
all records concerning the certification of credits shall be maintained by the
Department and shall be made available for public review in accordance with
requests made under the Maryland Public Information Act.
Notes
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