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Americas Energy Coast Leadership Forum Galveston, Texas May 26, 2010 Capturing Carbon with Nature. Jeff Williams Director, Climate Consulting Entergy. What is an Offset?.
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Americas Energy Coast Leadership ForumGalveston, TexasMay 26, 2010Capturing Carbon with Nature Jeff Williams Director, Climate Consulting Entergy
What is an Offset? • An offset represents a reduction, avoidance, or removal of one metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions resulting from a specific project activity that is used to compensate for an equivalent emission occurring elsewhere.
Offset Criteria • Real • It can be accurately measured • Can be accomplished without “leakage” • Permanent • Will retain stored carbon for the life of the project. • Additional, • Occurs outside a regulatory requirement • Would not have occurred but for the incentive provided by a GHG market • Verifiable • It can be independently verified • Enforceable • Its ownership is undisputed • No double counting
How to Ensure Quality • Establish a project baseline • How much carbon was stored before the improvement? • Follow an established “Performance Standard protocol” that addresses your approach to achieving the offset criteria tests • Conduct ongoing MMV • Periodic measurement and monitoring of carbon storage metrics. • Verification throughout the life of a project to ensure it meets its intended goals & commitments (Offset criteria tests) • Employ Independent 3rd party verification offset protocol • Place verified offsets into a registry
Tensas Wildlife Refuge Reforestation & Carbon Sequestration Project • With Trust for Public Land & ESI, Entergy restored 1,900 acres of marginal cropland to hardwoods using low income labor; • Donating high priority land to US FWS to expand Tensas NWR; • Trees will remove 760,000 tons CO2 as they mature; • Enhances habitat for Louisiana Black Bear & neotropical songbirds; • Adds eco-tourism benefits for region
If done right…. • Reduce Cost • Spur innovation & facilitate early action • Ensure environmental integrity • Leverage other ecosystem benefits • Restored habitats • Improved water quality • Storm surge protection • Will do no harm