California Code of Regulations › Title 17 - Public Health › Division 3 - Air Resources › Chapter 1 - Air Resources Board › Subchapter 10 - Climate Change › Article 5 - California Cap on Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Market-Based Compliance Mechanisms › Subarticle 13 - ARB Offset Credits and Registry Offset Credits › Section 95977 - Verification of GHG Emission Reductions and GHG Removal Enhancements from Offset Projects

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 28, July 12, 2024
(a)
						General Requirements. An Offset Project Operator or Authorized Project Designee
						must obtain the services of an ARB-accredited verification body for the
						purposes of verifying Offset Project Data Reports submitted under this
						article.
(b) Schedule for
						Verification of Non-Sequestration Offset Projects. The verification of GHG
						emission reductions for non-sequestration offset projects that produce greater
						than or equal to 25,000 metric tons of GHG reductions must be performed on a
						Reporting Period basis and cover the Reporting Period for which the most recent
						Offset Project Data Report was submitted unless otherwise specified in a
						Compliance Offset Protocol. For Reporting Periods in which an Offset Project
						Data Report for a non-sequestration offset project shows that the offset
						project produced fewer than 25,000 metric tons of GHG reductions in a Reporting
						Period, the Offset Project Operator or Authorized Project Designee may choose
						to perform verification that covers two consecutive Reporting Periods, even if
						for the subsequent Reporting Period the offset project produced greater than or
						equal to 25,000 metric tons of GHG reductions. If an Offset Project Data Report
						results in zero GHG emission reductions, the Offset Project Operator or
						Authorized Project Designee may defer verification until the offset project
						produces an Offset Project Data Report that no longer results in zero GHG
						emission reductions.
(c) Schedule
						for Verification of Sequestration Offset Projects. An initial verification of
						GHG emission reductions and GHG removal enhancements for all sequestration
						offset projects must be performed following the first Reporting Period and
						cover one Reporting Period. After the first Reporting Period, verification must
						be conducted at least once every six years and may cover up to six Reporting
						Periods for which Offset Project Data Reports were submitted. After an initial
						verification with a Positive Offset Verification Statement, reforestation
						offset projects and urban forest offset projects that meet the requirements of
						the applicable Compliance Offset Protocol may defer the second verification for
						twelve years, but verification of Offset Project Data Reports must be performed
						at least once every six years thereafter. For offset projects that do not renew
						their crediting period, verification must still be conducted at least once
						every six years for the remainder of the project life. However, after a
						successful full offset verification of an Offset Project Data Report indicating
						that Actual Onsite Carbon Stocks (in MTCO2e) are at
						least 10% greater than the Actual Onsite Carbon Stocks reported in the final
						Offset Project Data Report of the final crediting period that received a
						positive Offset Verification Statement, the next full offset verification
						service may be deferred for twelve years. An offset project that has deferred
						verification for twelve years must resume conducting a full verification at
						least once every six years if it receives an Adverse Offset Verification
						Statement.
(d) Timing for Submittal
						of Offset Verification Statements to ARB or an Offset Project Registry. Any
						Offset Verification Statement must be received by ARB or an Offset Project
						Registry within eleven months after the conclusion of the Reporting Period for
						which offset verification services were performed, except for Reporting Periods
						for which verification is deferred in accordance with this section. If the
						Offset Verification Statement is not submitted to ARB or an Offset Project
						Registry by the verification deadline, the GHG reductions and GHG removal
						enhancements quantified and reported in the Offset Project Data Report are not
						eligible to be issued ARB offset credits or registry offset credits. The
						verification body must issue one Offset Verification Statement for each Offset
						Project Data Report that it verifies for the Offset Project Operator or
						Authorized Project Designee.
1. New
						  section filed 12-13-2011; operative 1-1-2012 pursuant to Government Code
						  section
						  11343.4
						  (Register 2011, No. 50).
2. Amendment of subsections (b)-(d) filed
						  6-26-2014; operative 7-1-2014 pursuant to Government Code section
						  11343.4(b)(3)
						  (Register 2014, No. 26).
3. Amendment of subsections (b)-(d) filed
						  9-18-2017; operative 10-1-2017 pursuant to Government Code section
						  11343.4(b)(3)
						  (Register 2017, No. 38).
Note: Authority cited: Sections
							 38510,
							 38560,
							 38562,
							 38570,
							 38571,
							 38580,
							 39600
							 and
							 39601,
							 Health and Safety Code. Reference: Sections
							 38530,
							 38560.5,
							 38564,
							 38565,
							 38570
							 and
							 39600,
							 Health and Safety Code.