Background
Pursuant to Session Law 2007-438 et seq., on Sept. 1, 2010 the Ecosystem Enhancement Program established nutrient-offset rates based on an Actual Cost Method (ACM). The ACM is a procedure that ensures that the EEP Nutrient Offset Program sets rates based on the actual cost of providing nutrient load-reduction credits. The ACM was developed through a stakeholder process in which participants were asked to contribute to the method itself, and the rules that would establish it as the means to set EEP nutrient-offset fees.
During the development of the ACM, EEP also developed a database that categorizes and stores EEP cost data to allow for per-unit nutrient-reduction costs to be calculated accurately and efficiently.