GHGemissions

Project Registration

In order to earn Offsets, the Project Proponent must:

  1. Be a Program Participant, Offset Provider or Offset Aggregator.

  2. Register the project with the GHG Offsets Registry Program.

  3. Obtain ongoing independent verification of the project by an Approved Verifier. The performance of each project must be quantified and verified in accordance with the provisions of this document and related protocol documents. Each Project Proponent must submit their project for verification. Offsets will be issued only if a satisfactory verification report is received by the Program Administrator. The vintage year assigned to offsets shall correspond to the time period of mitigation realized by the Offset Project in question.

Determining Eligibility

Project Validation All projects must submit a Project Implementation Document (PID) or equivalent document. Projects utilizing these guidelines are validated one of two ways. Projects that adhere strictly to the requirements of this protocol are validated by the Program Administrator. For all Projects seeking to deviate from specific components of this protocol, the Project Proponent must describe the proposed deviation in detail via the deviation request form. Upon receipt and review of the GHG PID and deviation request, the Program Administrator may seek input from the GHG Offsets Advisory Committee regarding the feasibility and appropriateness of the requested deviation(s) and, as needed, seek guidance from appropriate technical experts. Project Proponents will be notified of the decision of the Program Administrator and shall proceed accordingly. Regardless of whether a project satisfies the standardized protocol, the Project Proponents have requested a specific deviation approval from an existing standardized protocol, or have requested approval for a new category, all Project Proponents seeking to register a project must receive a Project Approval Letter prior to initiating verification. Verifiers should request a copy of the letter prior to verification to ensure that the project has been approved for verification. Requests for Project Approval Letters should be made through the Program Administrator by emailing Info@ghgemissions.com.

Project Verification

Verification is required of all projects to ensure that the requirements of the applicable protocol, this Program Manual, and Verification Guidance are correctly applied. Project Proponents seeking to register Offset Projects must have the project verified by an Approved Verifier in accordance with the protocol-specific requirements and the provisions contained herein before offsets may be issued. A list of Approved Verifiers is found on the Program website.
Approved Verifiers must request approval prior to conducting verification through the following process:

  1. Obtaining a copy of the Project Approval Letter from the Project Proponent: All Projects must have a Project Approval Letter that should be provided to the Verifier ahead of verification to demonstrate project eligibility. Project Proponents seeking approval must submit a completed PID, outlining the attributes of the project. For projects that use the standardized protocols, the Program Administrator will issue the Proponent a Project Approval Letter if the project attributes appear to conform to eligibility requirements. For projects that involve review, approval will come in the form of a letter from the Program Administrator. In these instances, the Project Approval Letter will outline the date and conditions of approval and include the PID that was reviewed by the Program Administrator.

  2. Receiving approval that no conflicts of interest exist: Approved Verifiers must submit the project-specific conflicts-of-interest form, signed by the Verifier and the Project Proponent. This submission also serves as confirmation that the Project Proponent has given the Program Administrator permission to disclose project-specific information (e.g. PID, GHG Offsets Program Project Approval Letter etc.) to the prospective Verifier. Requests for confirmation should be made through the Program Administrator by emailing Info@ghgemissions.com. The GHG Offsets Program retains the right to reject any submitted verification report that does not adhere to this process. Project specific conflicts-of-interest forms will remain valid through the approval period, provided that no substantive change has occurred in the nature of the relationship between the organizations. If such a change has occurred, a new project specific conflicts of interest form must be submitted. The cost of the annual verification shall be borne by the Project Proponent. All Project registration documents, verification reports, related documents and documentation of quantification methods shall be subject to inspection and review.

Approval of Non-Standard Projects

Alternatively, projects may be approved as eligible by the Program Administrator, with input from the relevant Advisory Committee, after the review of the Project Implementation Document. If the project is approved, the Program Administrator will issue the Project Proponent a Project Approval Letter with an explicit description of the conditions under which the project was approved. Review is required for all projects that do not adhere strictly to an established offsets protocol and for all projects in the following categories:

  • Afforestation / Reforestation (if not using carbon accumulation tables).
  • Sustainable Forest Management.
  • Projects under an existing eligible category with non-standardized attributes or requests for approval for deviations from the protocol.
  • Projects for which a standardized protocol does not exist.

Serialized Registry

The GHG Offsets Registry Program is an electronic database that serves as the official holder of record and Transfer Mechanism for Offsets owned by Program Participants. The Registry is a serialized GHG tracking system that provides Registry Account Holders a full suite of administration and reporting tools to assist in managing and transferring their Offsets. The Registry provides full audit trail of each registered Offset from its creation, transfers, and retirements. Offset Projects are registered when Offsets are issued to the Project Proponent’s GHG Offsets Registry Program Account. Offsets are recorded and transacted in unit size equal to one hundred metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent. Offsets in the amount of one hundred metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent shall constitute one Carbon Financial Instrument (“CFI”). Unless otherwise authorized by GHG in advance, the minimum quantity that can be registered or transferred in the Registry is one CFI. Participants may request single-ton serialization for specified blocks of CFIs. Project Proponents may use their Registry Account to:

  1. Manage Offsets holdings.
  2. Search for transfers.
  3. Review account statements.
  4. Access Participants-only information Each Registry Account Holder is assigned a Registry Account and may establish additional Accounts and/or Sub-accounts as may be needed to facilitate management of Carbon Financial Instruments. Each GHG Registry Account can be viewed only by parties authorized by the Registry Account Holder. Information contained in each Registry Account will be accessible only by parties authorized by the Registry Account Holder. The Program Administrator may publicly report certain aggregate information on transfers across Registry Accounts, but shall not publicly report Registry activity of any single Registry Account Holder. Each Registry Account Holder shall be responsible for controlling and monitoring log-in and password protocols. Further terms and conditions governing access and usage of the GHG Offsets Registry Program Registry are provided in the Participation Agreement.

CFI Transfer Procedures

CFI transfers are executed by the Program Administrator subsequent to receipt of signed Transfer Agreements from representatives of both sides to a CFI transfer. The Program Administrator shall provide standardized Transfer Agreements and submission instructions to all Participants. Business terms of Transfer agreements among Participants are established through private negotiations. Business terms need not be disclosed to effect a CFI transfer.

Offset Issuance and Transfers

Issuance of Offsets to Participants in the GHG Offsets Registry Program confers to the recipient legal ownership rights associated with Greenhouse Gas emission reductions realized through implementation and verification of eligible GHG mitigation practices. Every transfer of CFIs among Registry Account Holders is the conveyance from seller to buyer of full legal title to all legal rights associated with Greenhouse Gas reduction and mitigation rights represented by CFIs transferred from transferor to transferee. Full legal title transfers from seller to buyer when the Program Administrator effects a Registry transfer subsequent to receipt of properly completed transfer form documentation using prescribed forms. The GHG Offsets Registry Program makes no representation as to the marketability or market value of GHG Offsets Registry Program CFIs.