Vol. 1 No. 6
 The Climate Registry
The Climate Registry Reporter
Solving Climate Change Together
                                                                                          December 2008
Issues This Month
Climate Policy Forum Series
ICLEI and The Climate Registry form new partnership
Verification Bodies accredited by ANSI
Policy Developments
The Cool Planet Corner
Happy Holidays!
 
Best wishes for a warm and joyous holiday season from everyone at The Climate Registry! 
New Members!

The Registry proudly recognizes its Members joining in November!  
 
Climate Policy Forum Series 
 
The Climate Registry continues its hugely successful Climate Policy Forum series with three announced events in the Southeast, West and Midwest.  These forums follow on the heels of the highly rated Northeast forum in Boston.  In a post-event survey, 100 percent of the Boston attendees said they would recommend the forum to others. 
 
Feb 3 - Tampa, FL
Feb 26 - Denver, CO
Mar 11 - Columbus, OH
 
To get information and register for the Tampa forum, please click here.  To get information on becoming a forum sponsor, please contact Kati Price.
Important Dates and Events
 
ICLEI and The Climate Registry form new partnership  
 
ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, USA and The Climate Registry announced a new partnership to jointly promote responsible greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions accounting by local governments in North America.  
  
Through this new partnership, the two organizations will launch initiatives to encourage local governments to use the highest standards of the Local Government Operations Protocol and report their emissions as members of The Climate Registry.  By becoming members of both The Climate Registry and ICLEI, local governments will have access to the organizations' comprehensive support for building emissions inventories.
 
"More than 900 mayors have committed to reduce emissions in their cities, signing the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement," said Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels.  "This protocol provides a useful tool to track progress as we reduce greenhouse gases."

To read more, please click here.

First round of Verification Bodies accredited by ANSI 

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited the following six organizations on December 1, 2008 to conduct greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory verification services for Members of The Climate Registry: 

  • Advanced Waste Management (AWM)
  • Bureau Veritas Certification North America (BVC-NC)
  • First Environment, Inc.
  • NSF International Strategic Registrations (NSF-ISR)
  • Ryerson, Master and Associates, Inc. (RMA)
  • SGS Environmental Services, Inc. (SGS) 

These Verification Bodies are the first to be accredited to international standard ISO 14065 under ANSI's GHG Pilot Program that was launched in February 2008.  Nearly 30 other Verification Bodies are continuing the ANSI process to be accredited in the near future.  Members of The Climate Registry may use these ANSI-accredited Verification Bodies to meet the verification requirements of The Climate Registry's voluntary reporting program.   
 
To read more, please click here.

Policy Developments
 
General Verification Protocol Update
On September 24, 2008, The Climate Registry issued the first set of clarifications and corrections to the General Verification Protocol.  The Climate Registry published its first General Verification Protocol (GVP v 1.0) in May 2008. While The Registry intends for the GVP v 1.0 to be a complete document, it recognizes that clarifications and corrections will be necessary as the program evolves. Therefore, The Registry created a clarification document to track all modifications relating to GVP v 1.0. This document will be updated as new clarifications and corrections are identified.
 
The clarifications and corrections will be incorporated into the next version of the GVP, which The Registry anticipates will be released in early 2010. Until the next version of the GVP is released, all Members and Verification Bodies should refer to the latest clarifications document for the most current interpretation and explanation of verification policies, processes and activities.
 
If you have any questions about the clarifications document or if you wish to request further explanation or clarification of other verification policies, please contact Jackie Huggins at jackie@theclimateregistry.org or 201-238-2572.
 
General Reporting Protocol Update
On November 24, 2008, The Climate Registry issued the first set of clarifications and corrections to the General Reporting Protocol (GRP). As additional clarifications are made in The Registry's reporting requirements, this document will be updated and posted on our website.

The content of this document will be incorporated into the next version of the GRP, which The Registry anticipates will be released in early 2010.
 
If you have any questions about the GRP clarification document, please contact Peggy Foran at peggy@theclimateregistry.org or 213-542-0291.
 
Electric Power Sector Protocol
The Electric Power Sector (EPS) Protocol development workgroup and the Electric Power Sector Technical Expert Panel are continuing to draft the first version of the EPS Protocol. The Protocol will be released for public comment in February 2009. If you have any questions about the development of the EPS Protocol, please contact Peggy Foran at peggy@theclimateregistry.org.
 
Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Protocol
The Registry, the Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP), the California Air Resources Board and the New Mexico Environment Department have begun the development of an industry-specific reporting protocol for the oil and gas exploration and production sector. For those interested in following the process, updates and background documents will be posted on the WRAP website on a regular basis.

Local Government Operations Protocol
The Registry's Local Government Operations Workgroup, Solid Waste Technical Panel and Wastewater Technical Panels are working to finalize a first draft of The Registry's appendix to the Local Government Operations Protocol. The appendix will be released for public comment in February 2009 in conjunction with The Registry's EPS Protocol public comment period. Please contact Peggy Foran at peggy@theclimateregistry.org if you have any questions about The Registry's Local Government Operations Appendix, the workgroup or either of the technical panels.
The Cool Planet Corner 
Merrick Engineering Tackles Climate Change
 
Merrick Engineering, Inc, one of the largest manufacturers of a wide variety of hangers and closet accessories in the United States, has achieved outstanding energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reductions, qualifying them to participate in the Cool Planet Project.  Launched by Southern California Edison and The Climate Registry, the Cool Planet Project is the first program of its kind to reward the installation of large energy-saving projects and promote action on climate change. 
 
Committed to an environmentally sound workplace and product, Merrick installed energy efficient projects that saved approximately 3.2 million kWh, or 966 tons of greenhouse gases - the equivalent to annually removing 242 cars from the road.  Measuring and reporting their greenhouse gas emissions annually is a critical first step in tackling climate change and Merrick Engineering is enthusiastic to set an example for its industry.