Book excerpt: This framework is a companion to the EPA's effluent trading policy & has been developed to encourage trading & assist in evaluating & designing trading programs. Specifically, the framework provides: background on effluent trading & the benefits it offers; a series of conditions necessary for trading, including those which ensure protection of water quality comparable to the protection that would be provided without trading; a template of issues that facilitates identification & evaluation of trading opportunities; & worksheets/checklists to evaluate whether potential trades meet threshold conditions.