Concord, MA - On October 21, 2004, the California Climate Action Registry adopted new rules for electric power companies and electric utilities that compile and report their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for participation in the Registry's program.  The new protocol (The Electric Power Generation and Electric Utilities Protocol or PUP) provides guidance on calculating GHG emissions from electricity generation, transmission, and distribution.  It also requires the reporting of three efficiency metrics to compare the climate impact of companies operating in the power generation and delivery markets.

M. J. Bradley & Associates (MJB&A) served as facilitator of the PUP Workgroup.   As facilitator, MJB&A coordinated PUP Workgroup meetings and develop comprehensive, high-quality, protocol recommendations for the Power/Utility sectors that are consistent with the Registry's existing General Reporting and Certification Protocols.

The protocols, in development since January 2004, were created through a stakeholder process with participation from power generators, utilities, environmental organizations, and state and federal agencies, including the California Energy Commission.  Protocol drafts were also reviewed and commented upon by over 100 industry, policy and academic experts.

The California Climate Action Registry, a public-private partnership created by the California Legislature in 2000, is the nation's first registry with standardized accounting systems for tracking changes in emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. 10 of the Registry's 42 members are in the power industry.   With 30% of the state's GHG emissions coming from power generation, transmission and distribution, the new protocol provides standardized accounting guidance for a key source of California's GHG emissions.  On a national level, the new protocols may also provide a foundation for other states and regions considering adopting GHG reporting requirements for the electric power industry.

For the Registry PUP project, MJB&A leveraged its extensive experience in managing and facilitating multi stakeholder consensus based processes.  MJB&A brings a wealth of related experience including completing multi-year GHG emission inventories for electric utility clients, participation in the World Resources Institute's/World Business Council for Sustainable Developments' GHG Protocol, and facilitating NESCAUM's GHG Demonstration Project.

MJB&A Staff Contact:

Brian Jones bjones@mjbradley.com