Climate Legislation Briefing - Domestic Offsets

Briefing on Domestic Offsets in a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Cap-and-Trade System

March 6, 2009

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The Pew Center held a Congressional briefing on the role and function of domestic offsets in a mandatory GHG cap-and-trade system. Given the importance of offsets as a cost-containment measure in cap-and-trade system design, the intent of this briefing was to show that domestic offsets can be a viable and reliable way of acheiving low-cost GHG emissions reductions.    

Speakers (and topics):

• Nikki Roy, Vice President for Federal Government Outreach, Pew Center on Global Climate Change (introduction)
• Janet Peace, Vice President for Markets and Business Strategy, Pew Center on Global Climate Change (moderator; offsets issues and options)
  Presentation
• Wiley Barbour, Executive Director, Environmental Resources Trust/Winrock (quality offsets)
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• Garth Boyd PhD, PAS; Senior Vice President, Agriculture, Camco (anatomy of an agricultural offsets project)
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• Bill Irving, Chief of the Program Integration Branch, Climate Change Division, Office of Atmospheric Programs, EPA (EPA's analysis of offsets)
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Briefing Highlights

• Offsets can significantly reduce the costs of a cap-and-trade program.
• Offsets standards have proliferated in the absence of guidance from the Federal government. 

Related Materials

Brief on Offsets in a Domestic Cap and Trade Program

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-This series was made possible through a generous grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, but the opinions expressed herein are solely those of the presenters.-