The Registry’s mission clearly directs it to support both voluntary and mandatory reporting, as well as simplify the reporting process for Members participating to both voluntary and mandatory programs.

Some of the Registry’s states and provinces and territories have adopted or are in the process of adopting mandatory reporting requirements, either individually or as part of regional GHG reduction programs. The Registry anticipates playing a critical role in standardizing the collection and quality of data across and among these various initiatives. It will also provide a central point of access for mandatory GHG emissions data for users and the public. Developing the Registry’s roles in these areas has the potential to reduce the costs to the Registry’s states and provinces and territories of creating and managing mandatory data collection programs, minimize the burden for Members with facilities in multiple jurisdictions, encourage voluntary entity wide reporting, and increase the likelihood that state and provincial reporting programs and the Registry’s protocols influence federal systems.

At its meeting in January, the Board of Directors created a Mandatory Reporting Committee to further explore options for how the Registry might support state, provincial and regional mandatory GHG reporting needs. The Board requested that the Mandatory Reporting Committee recommend at its June meeting a model or models the Registry should pursue to best support mandatory reporting programs and advance its own organization objectives.

Objective

Develop a recommendation to the Board by its June meeting for a Registry program for supporting mandatory reporting programs.

Work Plan Elements

The Committee, with staff support, will undertake the following to develop a recommendation for the Registry’s mandatory reporting support program:

1. Confirm Registry objectives and goals for a mandatory reporting support program
2. Assess specific needs in terms of mandatory reporting support
• Survey anticipated data collection and storage approaches
• Identify necessary additional Registry quantification protocols
• Survey anticipated verification approaches and needs
• Identify other possible useful Registry services for mandatory reporting
• Identify potential pilot partnership(s)
3. Finalize eligibility criteria and minimum data standards for the Registry’s mandatory reporting support program
4. Discuss proposed partnership models of Registry support for mandatory programs and identify additional models if necessary
5. Flesh out models for Registry support for mandatory programs
• Describe data flow for each partnership model
• Identify additional Registry services to be included in partnership models
• Develop pilot partnership descriptions
• Develop cost estimates and timelines for models and pilots
• Assess Registry staff needs for support of mandatory programs
• Examine Registry fee structure/revenue models for mandatory support program
6. Evaluate partnership models and develop recommendation
7. Present recommendation to Board

The Registry’s staff will work through the Mandatory Reporting Committee as well as the Western Climate Initiative subcommittee process over the coming months to address each of the work plan elements to provide a recommendation to the Board at the beginning of June.

If you have any questions, please contact Tymon Lodder via email at tymon@theclimateregistry.org.