Errata and Clarifications released for Nitric Acid Production Project Protocol, Version 1.0

Reserve forestry commitment featured at CGI

John Podesta announces the Climate Action Reserve’s forestry commitment at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting

U.S. Version 3.0 and Mexico Version 2.0 Livestock Project Protocols were adopted by Reserve Board on September 29, 2010

New guidelines broaden opportunities for livestock operations to gain financial benefits from reducing their GHG emissions

The Climate Action Reserve continues to uphold rigorous standards in offset projects with the release of version 3.0 of its Livestock Project Protocol

Los Angeles, CA – The Climate Action Reserve, North America’s largest carbon offset registry, released version 3.0 of the Livestock Project Protocol, providing updated guidelines for livestock operations to participate in the carbon market. Significant amounts of methane, which is over 21 times more potent to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, can be produced at livestock operations. With the updated livestock protocol, operations have more opportunities to reduce their methane emissions and earn offset credits that can be sold in the carbon market.

The Livestock Project Protocol ensures the integrity and long-term environmental benefit of installing manure biogas control systems at livestock operations, including dairy cattle and swine farms. With this protocol, operations that capture and destroy methane from livestock manure before it is released into the atmosphere receive carbon offset credits that can be traded in the carbon market

The protocol ensures that livestock operations can effectively reduce greenhouse gases and thrive while earning offset credits in a carbon market,” said Linda Adams, Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency and Chair of the Climate Action Reserve Board of Directors.

Version 3.0 of the protocol includes revised guidance on determining the greenhouse gas (GHG) assessment boundary of projects. This includes clear details on the standard stocking rates and new options for complying with the reporting period and verification requirements to reduce verification costs. All offset projects registered with the Climate Action Reserve are required to undergo independent, third-party verification.

Livestock manure management provides a key opportunity to reduce significant methane emissions, while at the same time generating revenue for the livestock operator. Version 3.0 of the Livestock Project Protocol recognizes that opportunity and ensures that livestock manure management projects are developed, quantified and verified with the highest level of integrity,” said Gary Gero, President of the Climate Action Reserve.

The Climate Action Reserve also released version 2.0 of the Mexico Livestock Project Protocol, which provides guidance for livestock offset projects in Mexico. To date, livestock projects registered with the Climate Action Reserve have reduced 151,903 metric tons of CO₂e from the atmosphere, equivalent to taking over 29,000 passenger vehicles off the road annually. The original livestock protocol was adopted by the Climate Action Reserve Board of Directors in June 2007 for projects in the United States.

Please visit the Climate Action Reserve website to access the Livestock Project Protocol Version 3.0, as well as all public comments regarding the protocol and the submitted responses to the comments.

The Climate Action Reserve continues to uphold rigorous standards in offset projects with the release of version 3.0 of its Livestock Project Protocol

Los Angeles, ca – The Climate Action Reserve, North America’s largest carbon offset registry, released version 3.0 of the Livestock Project Protocol, providing updated guidelines for livestock operations to participate in the carbon market. Significant amounts of methane, which is over 21 times more potent to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, can be produced at livestock operations. With the updated livestock protocol, operations have more opportunities to reduce their methane emissions and earn offset credits that can be sold in the carbon market.

“The protocol ensures that livestock operations can effectively reduce greenhouse gases and thrive while earning offset credits in a carbon market,” said Linda Adams, Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency and Chair of the Climate Action Reserve Board of Directors.

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2/LIVESTOCK 3.0

“Livestock manure management provides a key opportunity to reduce significant methane emissions, while at the same time generating revenue for the livestock operator. Version 3.0 of the Livestock Project Protocol recognizes that opportunity and ensures that livestock manure management projects are developed, quantified and verified with the highest level of integrity,” said Gary Gero, President of the Climate Action Reserve.

Letter from the President: The most important climate change policy issue facing us

Dear friends and colleagues,

In November, a decision is going to be made on the most important clean energy policy we have in the U.S. right now. If you’re not following it, you should be. I’ll tell you why.

Proposition 23 will appear on the California ballot November 2. Spearheaded by Texas oil companies, the proposition would repeal California’s landmark climate change law, AB 32, which has paved the way for hundreds of thousands of clean energy jobs and billions of dollars in investments. You may think that because it’s a California ballot measure, no one outside of the state needs to be concerned. But, the reality is that every person across the country – even across the world – who supports clean energy and clean air should not only be taking notice but also taking action.

If it succeeds, Prop 23 will kill the strongest clean energy policy ever passed in the United States. It will create significant roadblocks for clean energy job creation, investments and innovation. It will discredit landmark environmental initiatives developed from the collaborative work of business, government, academia and environmental groups. It will increase our dependence on imported oil and decimate newly emerging clean energy businesses like wind, solar and energy efficiency. And, it will set a precedent we can’t afford by repealing a public health law that had already been adopted and is already cleaning the air we breathe.

All of this will have strong implications for other states and for the nation. If the proponents of this proposition show it is possible to overturn clean air laws in California, we won’t recover for years to come and other public health laws around the country will be put into jeopardy. No matter where you live – whether it’s New York City or Seattle or St. Louis – approval of this proposition will affect you.

There are several actions you can take to help ensure this deceptive ballot measure does not pass.

First, join the Climate Action Reserve in supporting the No on Prop 23 campaign. You can be listed as an opponent to the Dirty Energy Proposition as an individual or as an organization. It only takes a few seconds and you can start right now by clicking here.

You can also take your support one step further by becoming a Clean Energy Leader. These people serve as volunteer leaders in educating others on this proposition. Once you join the No on Prop 23 campaign, you will have the option of continuing on as a Clean Energy Leader.

Second, you can donate money to the No on Prop 23 campaign. We need all of the donations we can get to fight the funding from Texas oil companies Valero and Tesoro and billionaire oil barons Charles and David Koch, owners of Koch Industries and numerous oil refineries. To donate, please visit https://secure.donationsafe.com/sde/.

I urge you to get the facts and learn more about No on Prop 23. Please join the Reserve on Thursday, October 21, 2010 for a special webinar discussing the proposition and its impact on clean energy development, job growth, and regional and federal policy initiatives. For more information on the webinar or to register, please click here. For more information on No on Prop 23, please visit www.stopdirtyenergyprop.com.

The Climate Action Reserve has always strongly advocated collaboration among multi-stakeholder groups to effectively address climate change issues. Opposing Prop 23 is no different. All of us must stand together in protecting the progress we have already made and the progress we’ll make in the future.

Sincerely,
Gary Gero

Register now for Agriculture Protocols Scoping Meetings in Chicago, Modesto, and Washington DC

The Livestock Project Protocol U.S. Version 3.0 and Mexico Version 2.0 will be presented for adoption at September 29 Reserve Board meeting

Forest Project Protocol Version 3.2 was adopted by Reserve Board on August 31

Updated standard provides new guidance for using forests to address climate change

Version 3.2 of the Climate Action Reserve’s Forest Project Protocol continues to ensure integrity of forest offset projects

Los Angeles, CA – The newest version of the Forest Project Protocol from the Climate Action Reserve, North America’s largest carbon offset registry, has been officially released for use in the carbon market. Updates in version 3.2 of the protocol create stronger standards for ensuring integrity and long-term environmental benefit in forest offset projects across the U.S. While other offset project types prevent carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) from entering the atmosphere, forest offset projects are unique because they remove CO₂from the atmosphere, in a sense “reversing” emissions that already happened.

The Forest Project Protocol Version 3.2 enriches the carbon landscape by providing new opportunities for participation in the carbon market. Forests are powerful tools in our fight against climate change, and owners of small forests now have the option of aggregating their lands to create an offset project and participate in the carbon market,” said Linda Adams, Chair of the Climate Action Reserve Board of Directors and Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency.

The Forest Project Protocol is the Reserve’s flagship methodology and provides complete, consistent, accurate and conservative standards to account for forest carbon storage. Significant updates in version 3.2 of the protocol include clarifications to the requirements for establishing a baseline for Improved Forest Management (IFM) projects and the introduction of guidelines for aggregating forest projects.

Version 3.2 of the Forest Project Protocol recognizes the tremendous opportunity of forests to sequester carbon dioxide and ensures that forest projects are developed, quantified and verified with the highest level of integrity,” said Gary Gero, President of the Climate Action Reserve.

The original forest protocol was adopted by the Climate Action Reserve Board of Directors in June 2005 with applicability specific to the State of California and was expanded to cover all of the U.S. in September 2009. Currently, forest projects registered with the Climate Action Reserve have absorbed 1,735,436 metric tons of CO₂e from the atmosphere.

Please visit the Climate Action Reserve website to access the Forest Project Protocol Version 3.2, as well as all public comments regarding the protocol and the submitted responses to the comments.

Five states top the list in reducing greenhouse gas emissions

First place claimed by Arkansas, followed by California, New York, Texas and Alabama

Los Angeles, CA – Annually, carbon offset projects in Arkansas reduce enough greenhouse gases (GHGs) from the atmosphere to equal the amount of emissions produced by 322,380 passenger vehicles over an entire year, according to the Climate Action Reserve, North America’s largest carbon offset registry. Another way to measure the amount is to think of it in terms of the carbon removed from the atmosphere by growing 43,232,026 tree seedlings for 10 years. By reducing such a significant amount of GHGs through projects registered with the Climate Action Reserve, Arkansas has earned the status of reducing more GHG emissions than any other U.S. state. Joining Arkansas at the top of the list are California, New York, Texas and Alabama.

GHGs contribute to global warming by keeping heat, or radiative energy, in the atmosphere, and scientists point to a direct correlation between increased amounts of GHGs and extreme weather, such as this summer’s scorching temperatures and record-setting flooding. Carbon offset projects are activities that prevent GHGs from entering the atmosphere, making them climate change solutions that have an impact on the environment right now.

One of the most valuable benefits of high quality offset projects is that they reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere today. While we work on transitioning to a clean energy economy and reducing the amounts of emissions we produce, offset projects are providing true benefit to the environment. They are a way to take action and see results now,” said Gary Gero, president of the Climate Action Reserve.

Ranking a close second after Arkansas, California is well known around the world for its pioneering environmental initiatives and its landmark climate change and energy bill, AB 32.

Every year, offset projects in California reduce the same amount of GHGs as taking 303,182 passenger vehicles off the road for a year. Coming in third is New York, a member of the first regional group to implement a cap-and-trade program, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Annually, offset projects in New York reduce enough GHGs to equal the emissions generated by 124,520 passenger vehicles every year.

The southern states are not as well known as their coastal counterparts for being environmental leaders. However, on an annual basis, offset projects in Texas reduce the equivalent of taking 83,052 passenger cars off the road for a year. Alabama offset projects reduce the same amount of GHGs that would be achieved if 39,518 passenger vehicles were removed from the road for a year.

Some of the states on this top five list will be a surprise to people. It’s important to note that businesses, organizations and people living in these states not only support reducing emissions through emission reduction projects but they are financially benefiting from these projects by earning offset credits that can be traded in the carbon market. These people have realized opportunities to use a market-based approach and financial incentives to take action against our most pressing global challenge today – climate change,” said Gero.

Offset projects from these five states are all registered with the Climate Action Reserve. The projects include destroying ozone depleting substances, using forests to remove carbon and methane capture from landfills, livestock farms and coal mines. The projects comply with the most rigorous and comprehensive standards for offset projects and have been independently reviewed by accredited third party verification bodies. Information on these projects and their verifications are publicly accessible at www.climateactionreserve.org.

Actual amounts of GHGs removed by projects in each state are listed in the chart below.

State	*Metric tons of CO2e reduced**
Arkansas	1,858,551
California	1,747,869
New York	717,866
Texas	478,805
Alabama	227,822

* CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) is a measure for comparing carbon dioxide with other GHGs; it is calculated by multiplying the metric tons of a gas by the appropriate global warming potential (GWP)

The Climate Action Reserve is a private nonprofit organization representing international interests in addressing climate change and bringing together participants from the government, environment and business sectors. As the premier carbon offset registry in North America, it works to ensure environmental benefit, integrity and transparency in the carbon market. It establishes high quality standards for quantifying and verifying greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction projects, oversees independent third-party verification bodies, issues carbon credits generated from such projects and tracks the transaction of credits over time in a transparent, publicly-accessible system. By ensuring that GHG reduction projects provide true environmental benefit and earn high quality offsets, the Climate Action Reserve is creating a trusted and valuable commodity and bringing credibility and efficiency to the carbon market. For more information, please visit www.climateactionreserve.org.