ARB will hold a public workshop on new offset protocol
development.
Staff from the Air Resources Board (ARB) invites you to
participate in a workshop as part of amendments of the California
greenhouse gas (GHG) Cap-and-Trade Program. This workshop will
focus on evaluating the technical details of adding protocols for
Coal Mine Methane Projects and Rice Cultivation Projects to the
Cap-and-Trade Regulation. At the workshop, ARB staff will
provide an overview of the proposed protocols including project
eligibility, proposed quantification methodologies, and
recognition of early action offset credits. We welcome and
encourage your participation in this event.
Workshop Time and Location
We encourage you to take public transportation or drive low
emission/high efficiency vehicles whenever possible. The public
workshop will be held at the following location and will also be
webcast:
Date: Thursday, March 28, 2013
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: Byron Sher Auditorium
Second Floor, Cal/EPA Headquarters,
1001 "I" Street
Sacramento, CA 95812
Directions: http://www.calepa.ca.gov/EPABldg/location.htm
Background
The California Cap on Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Market-Based
Compliance Mechanisms Regulation went into effect on January 1,
2012. The Cap-and-Trade Regulation contains provisions for the
use of a limited number of ARB offset credits generated under
approved Compliance Offset Protocols to meet an entities
compliance obligation. Currently the Regulation recognizes four
Compliance Offset Protocols: Ozone Depleting Substances Projects,
Livestock Projects, Urban Forest Projects, and U.S. Forest
Projects. ARB publicly announced at the June 2012 Board Meeting
their intent to evaluate additional protocols to help meet the
demand for ARB offset credits in the program. ARB has identified
two new protocols, Rice Cultivation Projects and Coal Mine
Methane Projects, as potentially meeting the requirements
specified in the Regulation for approval as Compliance Offset
Protocols.
The protocol for Coal Mine Methane Projects quantifies reductions
in methane emissions from mining operations. Underground and
surface coal mining can release methane to the atmosphere before,
during and after the mining process. There are two key sources
of methane from active coal mining: ventilation and
degasification. During ventilation dilute methane is vented
through mine ventilation shafts. For degasification vertical or
horizontal wells remove methane from the underground mine before,
during, or after mining. To reduce methane emissions, methane
can be captured and used for energy production or flared. The
protocol would include methodologies to identify eligible project
types, and to identify and quantify of eligible methane sources.
The protocol for Rice Cultivation Projects quantifies reductions
in methane emissions from flooded rice fields. Flooding results
in anaerobic decomposition of organic matter. The organic matter
can originate from soil amendments, plant residues or root
exudates. The amount of methane produced is affected by the
duration of flooding, the rice variety and the availability of
crop residues and organic matter.
The protocol would use the DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC)
biogeochemical process model to quantify soil carbon dynamics,
N2O and CH4 emissions. At this time projects would be limited to
California and the Mid-South Region (list states) for which the
DNDC model has been calibrated with empirical data. And the
protocol would be limited to three specific project activities:
(1) replacing wet seeding with dry seeding, (2) early drainage,
and (3) baling of rice straw.
Workshop Materials and Written Comments
The workshop materials will be posted prior to the workshop at
http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/capandtrade/meetings/meetings.htm. At
this website, you may join our electronic mailing list to receive
notices of ARB activities and public meetings. This website may
also be used to submit written comments on the workshop. Please
submit written comments by April 19, 2013.
Video/Audio Webcast
A live video/audio webcast will be available for the workshop at
the following link: http://www.calepa.ca.gov/broadcast/?BDO=1.
ARB recommends that you not run other programs while viewing the
webcast, as it may interrupt or lower the quality of the signal.
Information on submitting questions or comments will be provided
during the webcast for remote participants.
Special Accommodations or Language Assistance
If you require a special accommodation or need this document in
an alternate format or language, please contact the Cap-and-Trade
Program Hotline at 916-322-2037 as soon as possible.
TTY/TDD/Speech to Speech users may dial 711 for the California
Relay Service.
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The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian
needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For
a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy
costs, visit the Flex Your Power website at www.fypower.org .
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