Denver, Colorado,
July 14, 2011 - The Western Climate Initiative (WCI)
Offsets Committee today releases a draft process to review and
recommend offset protocols.
The WCI Design
Recommendations (2008) recommended the establishment of a rigorous
offset system to support the WCI cap-and-trade program.
The Design for the WCI
Regional Program (2010) recommended essential criteria for credible
offsets and that standards and processes for approving offset
projects be developed in an open and transparent manner in advance
of the start of the cap-and-trade program.
The draft process to review
and recommend offset protocols for adoption into WCI Partner
jurisdictions support these
objectives.
There are a number of offset
protocols that have been developed and are in use in North America
and across the globe. This draft process provides a step-by-step
description of how WCI Partner jurisdictions will review existing
offset protocols in regards to how they meet WCI offset
criteria.
WCI Partner jurisdictions
believe this process is fair, efficient and will lead to
high-quality offset credits that can be exchangeable across the
region.
Consistent, transparent
processes are expected to lower project development costs and
support learning and sharing of experience among WCI Partner
jurisdictions and offset protocol developers. Stakeholder
engagement, third party involvement, and regulatory oversight
combine to ensure the environmental integrity of the
program.
The Draft Offset Protocol
Review and Recommendation Process is available here. The WCI Offsets Committee will hold a
webinar to present the draft process to stakeholders on
July 20, 2011 from 12:30 - 1:30
PDT. To join the call
dial 1-800-868-1837 and enter
participant code 753491#.
To view the slides during the
presentation, go to this site, enter your name,
the toll free phone number and code listed above, and click
"join". The presentation will also be made available on the
website prior to the webinar. Written
comments on the Draft Offset Protocol Review and Recommendation
Process should be submitted here by Friday August 19,
2011.