Steve, The concept of "offsets" and "carbon trading" is just a way to shift the emissions around while supporting an army of useless bureaucrats while making some of the Wall Street money changers filthy rich.
Joe Zorzin just sent me the following about offsets: Model Application Materials for Agricultural Manure Management Offset Projects Now Available Online June 9, 2009 -- Draft model Consistency Applications and Monitoring and Verification Report materials for RGGI offset projects in the following category "Avoided Methane Emissions from Agricultural Manure Management Operations" are now available at: http://www.rggi.org/offsets/update/sponsors. The draft model materials are intended to help potential project sponsors and project verifiers collect necessary documentation before state-specific applications and submittal materials are released later this month. Note: Draft model materials are being released for information purposes only and should not be submitted to the RGGI participating states. For more information please see the Status Update on RGGI Offset Application and Submittal Materials and Verifier Accreditation Process at: http://www.rggi.org/docs/offset_status_update_5_14_09.pdf. About RGGI offsets RGGI provides for compliance flexibility through the use of emissions offsets. The emissions offset provisions of the participating states' regulations allow for the award of CO2 offset allowances to projects outside the capped sector (the electric sector) that reduce or sequester emissions of greenhouse gases. CO2 offset allowances may be used to satisfy a limited portion of a regulated power plant's compliance obligation. The use of CO2 offset allowances is constrained to 3.3 percent of a power plant's total compliance obligation during a control period, though this may be expanded to 5 percent and 10 percent if certain CO2 allowance price thresholds are reached. The RGGI participating states have developed prescriptive standards for specific offset project categories to ensure that offsets are real, additional, verifiable, enforceable, and permanent. The following five offset project categories are eligible under the participating states' regulations: . Landfill methane capture and destruction . Reduction in emissions of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) in the electricity transmission and distribution sector . Sequestration of carbon due to afforestation; . Reduction or avoidance of CO2 emissions from natural gas, oil, or propane end-use combustion due to end-use energy efficiency in the building sector . Avoided methane emissions from agricultural manure management operations For more information please visit: www.rggi.org/offsets. Now the inconvenient truth for those who worship at Al Gore's altar is that the above is pure 100% unadulterated bull****. Mike Mike, You raise some interesting points; recently (within the last 3-4 years), there was some hub-bub regarding Gore's monthly electric bill at his estate in Nashville (average $11,000/month) in contrast to his concern for Global Warming and encouragment of other citizens to live more "green" and eco-friendly. When this story hit the presses, he was asked to explain himself. He said that because of all of his work in promoting (his "documentary") An Inconvenient Truth that he had acquired enough "carbon offset credits" many times over to justify using that much electricity produced by coal fired generators! Go figure... I recently attended a "webinar" regarding carbon credits for municipalities (urban forestry perspective) and it does not take one long to recognize the "angle" that is being taken in this issue. Like many things, "follow the money trail" and you can often find the real agenda by some. Based on past correspondence, I know you see it too. Steve Springer -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
