The WCI's Offsets Committee was tasked with developing recommendations for offset criteria and carrying out the joint review, adaptation, and development of protocols by the Partner jurisdictions.  Today, the WCI Partners release two documents to further its efforts to design the WCI Offset System: draft recommendations on criteria for offsets in an offsets system, and a review of existing offset protocols in the priority project types against the WCI draft offset criteria.

This recommendations paper is the second stage in developing a clear definition of a WCI greenhouse gas offset and the detailed eligibility criteria for GHG offset projects used for compliance purposes.  In July 2009, the WCI Offsets Committee released the Offset Definition (Task 1.1) and Eligibility Criteria (Task 1.2) White Paper.  Based on stakeholder feedback and input from WCI Partners, the Committee has developed these draft recommendations for the offset definition and essential criteria.  The draft offset criteria are being designed to ensure that all offsets credits issued or accepted by WCI Partner jurisdictions are real, additional, permanent, verifiable, and enforceable.

The WCI Offsets Committee invites stakeholder comment on this paper and its recommendations.  Written comments may be received via the WCI website through May 12, 2010.  The WCI Offsets Committee poses these questions to stakeholders:

• What is your impression of the draft recommendations overall and individually?
• What has been your experience with offset systems utilizing these or similar recommended definitions for an offset and its essential criteria?  Have the advantages of these definitions outweighed the disadvantages?

The WCI Offsets Committee will also hold two stakeholders calls.  The first call on Thursday April 22, 2010 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (Pacific) will provide an initial presentation and discussion of this paper.  The second stakeholder call on Wednesday May 5, 2010 from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. (Pacific) will provide stakeholders the opportunity to ask questions of the Committee and provide comments. To join both calls, dial 1-800-868-1837 toll free in the U.S. and Canada, participant code 659 537#.  

Offset Protocol Review Report

The 2008 WCI Design Recommendations establishes a rigorous offset system to support the WCI cap-and-trade program The WCI design goes on to prioritize project types in agriculture, forestry and waste management for investigation and development to participate in the offset system. Other project types outside the capped sectors in the cap-and-trade program may also participate in the offset system. The Offset Protocol Review report is part of the Offset Committee's effort to coordinate the review and adaptation of existing protocols in the priority project types outlined in the WCI design against the WCI draft offset criteria. The WCI Partners' intent is to build off the existing work done on offset protocols.

The WCI Partners asked Det Norske Veritas (DNV) to evaluate protocols from existing offset systems to determine whether each protocol corresponds to the offset criteria as outlined in the WCI's Offset System Essential Elements Draft Recommendations Paper; meets the relevant requirements described in the ISO framework, and is applicable to the geographies of the Partner jurisdictions.

The result of this work is to identify how well existing protocols satisfy the WCI criteria.  The Offsets Committee will then concentrate on modifications to existing protocols for priority project types or developing new protocols where suitable ones do not exist.  Each WCI Partner jurisdiction may then choose to put the protocol into force in its own jurisdiction either directly and/or by reference, as its rules allow.  Stakeholder input will be sought in modifying or developing protocols.

WCI Partners invite stakeholder comments on the report's evaluation.  These comments will assist the Offsets Committee as they make a recommendation to WCI Partners on adapting existing offset protocols.  Written comments will be received via the WCI website through May 12, 2010.