Mexico Forest Protocol Version 1.2, and new verification and quantification guidance are now available

Quote highlights from NACW 2016

As the nation’s longest running and most anticipated conference for discussing climate policy and carbon markets, Navigating the American Carbon World (NACW) has a well-established history of providing the most comprehensive and up-to-date information on these topics and serving as the best event for networking with colleagues from the business, government, nonprofit and academic sectors.

In its fourteenth consecutive year, NACW 2016 took a close look at domestic and international climate policy, carbon markets and green investments. Session topics included U.S. and North American climate policy, the road after Paris, the current status and future growth of California’s historic cap-and-trade program, other established and emerging carbon markets, state-level activity under the Clean Power Plan, green bonds, risk management strategies and other innovative environmental initiatives.

Below are some quote highlights from NACW 2016:

	We try to integrate ESG throughout our thinking in the Treasurer’s office. We want better governance practices, we want better human rights practices, we want to be sensitive to climate change. – Hon. John Chiang, State Treasurer, State of California
	Climate action has made our economy more resilient, more innovative, and more competitive. California’s policies and our renewable energy innovators have helped to create a new global clean tech industry. Now in California, we have over a half million jobs in energy efficiency and renewable energy. – Hon. Kevin de León, President pro Tempore, California State Senate
	We consider this to be a pause. No court has spoken to the substance of the Clean Power Plan and we are absolutely confident that it will withstand legal scrutiny. We have been so careful over the years at EPA during this administration to make sure our rules are squarely within our legal authorities and are founded on an absolutely solid factual record. – Janet McCabe, Assistant Administrator, U.S. EPA
	A lot of the practices that we can address to improving the productivity of our soils, forests, range, and pasture areas, are the exact same practices that help us adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change. – Jason Weller, Chief, Natural Resources Conservation Service
	We started to work as a North American bloc – that is a powerful idea – it was a powerful statement in Paris. And now it is a powerful vision of the future. – Rodolfo Lacy, Undersecretary for Environmental Policy and Planning, Mexico Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources
	There’s no pathway to a carbon neutral world or economy without a price a carbon. – Glen Murray, Minister, Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Ontario
	We need to manage land for resilient carbon storage, and keep in mind the cobenefits that the land provides and co-manage for the co-benefits like watershed production, productive agriculture and forestry, sustainable communities, recreation, wildlife, habitat. – Claire Jahns, Assistant Secretary, Natural Resources Climate Issues, California Natural Resources Agency
	CA is looking at whether we can incorporate sector based emissions reductions. These are emissions reductions that could happen in foreign jurisdictions that come from an entire sector. The sector that is most ready for this right now is international forestry. And so we’ve been holding workshops that talk about REDD, a jurisdiction wide REDD model, how we can incorporate that, what kind of safeguards we would need to put in. – Edie Chang, Deputy Executive Officer, California Air Resources Board
	Subnational approaches are useful and necessary. California is truly a leader. I can speak from many years of experience in the electric power sector, there’s nothing in the US like the policies that CA has put together to attract investment and capital. – Steve Corneli, Board Member, Climate Action Reserve
	There is a risk for some issuers to issue green bonds that are not green. So that brings uncertainty to the market and it requires a better and clearer infrastructure. – Jean-Philippe Brisson, Partner, Latham & Watkins, LLP
	ARB has used the broad authority that AB32 gave it responsibly and effectively, and that’s provided a really solid foundation to defend against these lawsuits that have come along and future lawsuits that may come along. – Erica Morehouse, Senior Attorney, Environmental Defense Fund
	These markets don’t have the depth of an equities market with tons of participants. One person or entity can swing the market with a big move. – Scott Hernandez, Head of Sales & Trading, North America, Carbon Trade Exchange
	Generally if prices are low, that means either your program is doing really well in terms of reducing emissions or you might want to reconsider your ambition. – Judith Schröter, Lead Analyst – US Carbon & Global Offsets, ICIS
	ICAO evaluated different options: cap and trade, carbon offsets, pure carbon tax. And ultimately came to the conclusion collectively that a global carbon offset program would provide the most effective, administratively simple, cost-effective approach to meeting our carbon neutral growth goal through this market mechanism. – Sean Newsum, Director, Environmental Strategy, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
	We must never forget the voluntary sector has a critical role in creating the onramp to ARB bringing in new protocols. – Sean Penrith, Executive Director, The Climate Trust
	For offsets, the ceiling is the allowance price, the floor is zero. So the more offsets that are put out there, the more supply you get, the closer you get to 200 million, you run the risk of oversupply. – Sean Carney, President, Finite Carbon

Two Leaders from California Receive the 2016 Mary D. Nichols Climate Action Champion Award from the Climate Action Reserve

Prestigious annual award recognizes outstanding efforts to advance climate solutions

SAN DIEGO, CA – The Climate Action Reserve, North America’s premier carbon offset registry, presented the 2016 Mary D. Nichols Climate Action Champion Awards during the Navigating the American Carbon World conference. The annual awards recognize outstanding leadership and deep commitment to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. For their efforts in the “fight” against climate change, the exemplary recipients receive a special championship title belt. The awards are named in honor of Mary Nichols, Chair of the California Air Resources Board and Founding Chair of the California Climate Action Registry – the predecessor and legacy program of the Climate Action Reserve.

“The 2016 Climate Action Champions are true heroes for our planet. They have dedicated their lives to championing climate solutions, and worked unwaveringly over decades to build a clean energy future, advance air quality, and build a healthier and sustainable future,” said Linda Adams, Chair of the Climate Action Reserve Board of Directors.

The 2016 champions are:

Michael Gibbs – Michael Gibbs serves as Assistant Executive Officer at the California Air Resources Board. As Assistant Executive Officer, and previously at the California Environmental Protection Agency, Mr. Gibbs has been a leading contributor to the development and implementation of the state’s cap-and-trade program. His more than 30 years of experience have also included evaluating risks of sea level rise, developing and running programs to reduce methane emissions, supporting the development of the Montreal Protocol, contributing to the IPCC emissions inventory guidelines, and designing energy efficiency programs.

“I am honored to receive this award,” said Mr. Gibbs. “It is my privilege to be part of a team of dedicated professionals, in California and around the world, working to reduce the risk of climate change.”

Gary Gero – Gary Gero currently serves as a member of the Advisory Board of Directors for the Climate Action Reserve after retiring from his role as President in January 2016. During his nine years of leadership, Mr. Gero grew the Reserve into the leading offset project registry in North America, informed the development of California’s cap-and-trade program, and strengthened the environmental integrity and financial value of the North American carbon market. Prior to joining the Reserve, Mr. Gero managed environmental programs at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the City of Los Angeles.

“I am so proud for the recognition and accept this award on behalf of all the great people with whom I have worked in the fight against global climate change,” said Mr. Gero. “I am especially honored to have an award named for Mary Nichols, whose environmental leadership is a beacon to us all.”

Top Achievements in Carbon Offset Project Development Honored by the Climate Action Reserve

SAN DIEGO, CA – The Climate Action Reserve, North America’s premier carbon offset registry, presented the 2016 Project Developer of the Year Awards to carbon offset project developers that achieved the most emissions reductions, registered the most carbon offset projects, and registered the most new carbon offset projects during the past year. The awards recognize organizations for their leadership in advancing climate solutions and strengthening carbon markets through the development of successful carbon offset projects that achieve real, additional, and permanent emissions reductions.

“We are honored to present the Project Developer of the Year Awards in recognition of the largest contributions to the success of the voluntary and compliance carbon markets,” said Linda Adams, Chair of Award recipients have achieved significant emissions reductions to benefit our climate, fostered important environmental co-benefits for local communities and demonstrated the fiscal value and environmental integrity of market-based solutions to climate change.”

The 2016 Project Developer Award recipients are:

Camco International Group, in recognition of registering the most projects with the Climate Action Reserve in 2015, with 15 unique projects registered. Camco finances, develops, and operates clean energy and emission reduction projects that contribute to a sustainable future, with a focus on generating biogas from organic waste streams. Camco operates one of the largest on-farm anaerobic digesters in the U.S. It has generated offsets from mine methane, landfill gas, forestry and ODS project types and holds the largest portfolio of livestock projects in the California compliance market.

“The North American carbon offsets market is an important part of Camco’s business. We are pleased with the continued growth and success of our portfolio of offset projects and the ability of our team to register projects and issue offset credits in a timely fashion. This recognition by the Reserve is a testament to the hard work and expertise of Camco in developing a first-rate carbon offset project portfolio that has issued over one million California compliance offsets from twenty projects across the U.S,” said Charles Purshouse, Vice President, Carbon Services.

ClimeCo Corporation, in recognition of registering the most new projects (8) with the Reserve in 2015. ClimeCo Corporation is a developer, broker and advisor of both voluntary and compliance grade environmental commodity market products across numerous project types with specialized expertise in California cap-and-trade, voluntary market advisory and transactional services, and project financing of internal CO2 abatement systems.

“We’re pleased that the exponential growth of the ClimeCo Corporation is reflected in this recognition from the Reserve. Our team has worked tirelessly to bring new carbon offset projects to market, and we will continue to bring carbon market expertise together with comprehensive financing and project development to help realize real greenhouse gas emissions reductions and help organizations meet their carbon neutrality commitments,” said Bill Flederbach, President and CEO of ClimeCo.

Usal Redwood Forest Company, in recognition of registering the most offset credits with the Reserve in 2015 with 3,166,372 credits issued. The Usal Redwood Forest encompasses more than 49,000 acres of productive redwood/Douglas-fir forest located on the North Coast of California. In 2007, the Forest was acquired by the Redwood Forest Foundation, Inc (“RFFI”), a non-profit organization dedicated to acquiring, protecting, restoring and managing forestlands for the long-term benefit of the region’s citizens. Since acquisition of the Forest, RFFI has conducted extensive restoration and sustainably managed it to ensure carbon storage and fish and wildlife habitat.

“The Redwood Forest Foundation is honored to receive a Reserve Project Developer of the Year Award for our Usal Redwood Forest project. Usal, a working community forest with 3,166,372 credits issued in 2015, has one of the largest improved forest management carbon projects in the country. Together with the Reserve and our respected conservation finance advisory firm, U.S. Forest Capital, LLC, the Usal project is providing climate solutions by allowing our forest to grow,” said Mark Welther, President & CEO of the Usal Redwood Forest Company.

MEDIA ADVISORY: Navigating the American Carbon World 2016 is taking place May 4-6 in San Diego, California

MEDIA ADVISORY

Navigating the American Carbon World 2016, North America’s largest climate policy and carbon market conference, is taking place May 4-6 in San Diego, California

The Climate Action Reserve is pleased to present the 14th annual Navigating the American Carbon World (NACW) conference. As the nation’s longest running and most anticipated conference for discussing climate policy and carbon markets, NACW has a well-established history of providing the most comprehensive and up-to-date information on these topics. NACW 2016 will take a close look at domestic and international climate policy, carbon markets and green investments. Session topics include U.S. and North American climate policy, the road after Paris, the current status and future growth of California’s historic cap-and-trade program, other established and emerging carbon markets, the status of the Clean Power Plan, and green bonds.

The following leading climate professionals are confirmed to speak at NACW:

John Chiang, Treasurer, State of California
Glen Murray, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Ontario
Janet McCabe, Acting Assistant Administrator, EPA
Jason Weller, Chief, Natural Resources Conservation Service
Rodolfo Lacy, Undersecretary for Environmental Policy and Planning, Mexico Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources
Mary Nichols, Chair, California Air Resources Board
Dirk Forrister, President and CEO, IETA
Diane Regas, Executive Director, Environmental Defense Fund
Ken Alex, Director, California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research

Event Details
What: Navigating the American Carbon World 2016
When: May 4 – 6, 2016
Where: Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, 1 Market Place, San Diego, California, USA, 92101

Website: www.nacwconference.com

About the Climate Action Reserve

The Climate Action Reserve is the most experienced, trusted and efficient offset registry to serve the carbon markets. With deep roots in California and a reach across North America, the Reserve encourages actions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and works to ensure environmental benefit, integrity and transparency in market-based solutions to address global climate change. The Reserve program promotes immediate environmental and health benefits to local communities and brings credibility and value to the carbon market. The Climate Action Reserve is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles, California. For more information, please visit www.climateactionreserve.org.
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Grassland project monitoring report and monitoring plan templates now available

Developing Grassland Carbon Projects webinar on April 27 at noon PT

Protecting grasslands to protect our environment

The Climate Action Reserve’s Grassland Project Protocol provides a standardized approach for quantifying, monitoring and verifying GHG emissions reductions from permanently preventing the conversion of grasslands to croplands in the U.S. The availability of this protocol means grassland owners and project developers have a standardized, streamlined and flexible way to earn offset credits that can be used in the voluntary carbon market now and potentially in California’s cap-and-trade program in the future. Additionally, adoption of the protocol brings co-benefits related to these projects, including the conservation of wildlife habitat, avoided soil erosion and increased area for open grazing. Check out our infographic to learn more about the Grassland Project Protocol. PDF | PNG

Are you joining us for NACW 2016 in San Diego? Check out our San Diego favorites!

With NACW 2016 coming up in San Diego, California, we’d like to highlight our San Diego favorites. From restaurants to breweries to cultural sights and local activities, San Diego is a fantastic host city for our conference! We’re particularly excited that the conference is being held over Cinco de Mayo, as San Diego is well known for their fantastic Mexican food and local craft beers!

	I went to the Museum of Photographic Arts when I was there once and it was pretty good. I recommend it. It’s in Balboa Park, so it’s near other attractions too. Also it’s always fun to check out the lobby of the Horton Grand Hotel. It’s in the Gaslamp area and not far from the hotel. – Stephanie
	If you’ve ever had a burrito and thought, “This would even better with French fries instead of rice,” you’re in the right town. There are numerous spots that serve California burritos in and around San Diego. Two of the more popular options, Nico’s and Roberta’s, have multiple locations. For folks who want to go with a slightly healthier Mexican option, there are fish taco joints aplenty. Blue Water Seafood Market and Oscar’s Mexican Seafood are both fairly close to the Manchester Grand Hyatt, and Rubio’s is the OG chain in case you’re in a hurry. Last but not least, try lots of craft beer. San Diego is one of the best beer towns in the U.S., with more than 100 breweries and brewpubs in the area. Stone Brewing and Green Flash are probably the most famous operations, but other great breweries include Alesmith, Modern Times, Ballast Point (a personal favorite), The Lost Abbey, Lightning, Société, and Coronado. Most, if not all, of these breweries have tours as well. – Mark
	Mexican food in Old Town. – John
	Take the ferry to Coronado Island, walk across the island (fairly long walk), stroll around the Hotel Del Coronado. – Max
	My favorite spot in San Diego – Balboa Park is the Spanish Village Art Center. Enjoy wandering in and out of the old Spanish-style buildings while checking out all the cool art. Plus it’s close to the zoo, which is an obvious San Diego favorite. – Amy
	San Diego has a bike share program! And there several bike stations super close to the conference hotel – literally steps away. A two-hour rental is only $12. Bring your helmet though as helmets are not provided. – Rhey
	Point Loma Seafood’s for a great dining option. Sunset Cliffs for some nature experiences or surfing. Solid Rock San Diego (Old Town) – Stephen
	Right across the street from the hotel is a great bar and restaurant Lion’s Share, offering craft cocktails and exotic meats (their antelope sliders are pretty popular) and a great happy hour. Walk a little further, and you can enjoy the outdoor space, drinks, food trucks and games at The Quartyard. And no trip to southern California is complete without fish tacos. One of the absolute best is local favorite The Fish Shop in Pacific Beach, where you can order almost any kind of fish with your choice of seasonings. – Teresa
	Instead of sharing a favorite San Diego spot, I wanted to remind people that NACW overlaps with Cinco de Mayo. While the conference doesn’t take place in Mexico, it is in very close proximity to it and San Diego is a great place to enjoy Mexican culture, cuisine and music and honor this important day in Mexican history. Old Town hosts a massive Cinco de Mayo celebration that goes from May 5-8 and includes music and performances on four stages, margarita gardens, tequila tasting and mariachis. – Jennifer
	One of my favorite spots in San Diego from my undergraduate days is the Mission Café. I went to the original Mission Café and Coffeehouse in Mission Beach – amazing breakfasts! They now have 3 locations, including one on J Street in the East Village downtown. – Rachel
	If you happen to be a baseball fan, the Padres are at home May 2 – 8, 2016. Petco Park is an open-air, modern day throw-back ballpark perfectly suited for sunny days in San Diego. – Gillian
	Jolt’n Joe’s, a fabulous dive for the entire family to play pool or ping pong, watch your favorite game, enjoy a nice selection of brews, with wonderful bar food to boot! We have enjoyed it on several occasions, right in the Gas Lamp District! If you are looking for upper crust ambiance, this place is not for you! – Craig
	PetCo Park is really the main reason I’m ever in SD! In fact, I’ll probably stay to see a game the weekend after the conference. – Andrew

Clarification released for the Nitric Acid Production Project Protocol

The Reserve released a clarification for the Nitric Acid Production Project Protocol Versions 2.0 and 1.0. The clarification, effective immediately, defines the term “operating manual” for Nitric Acid Plant equipment, and allows for ammonia-to-air ratios to be updated based on the operating manual when no other data are available. All listed and registered projects under the above protocols should follow the guidance specified in its errata and clarifications document. For more information on errata and clarifications, please refer to the Reserve Program Manual, Section 4.3.4.