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News from our Partner: Environmental Organizations Line Up Behind the Climate Action Reserve

Jointly signed letter singles out the Reserve for unmatched credibility and transparency; commitment to strong environmental safeguards

SAN DIEGO, CA – April 3, 2009 - The Climate Action Reserve, the premiere carbon offset registry for the North American carbon market, announced it earned a letter of support from some of the country’s most respected environmental organizations. The announcement was made at the Navigating the American Carbon World conference here, amidst forecasts for the linking of certain regulatory-quality voluntary offsets programs in the U.S. with a future mandatory U.S. offset program.

The letter represents an unprecedented and unique honor. It states collective support for the establishment of the Climate Action Reserve to measure, track and report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction projects in North America for use as voluntary emissions offsets. While the signatory organizations do not endorse the use of offsets for compliance with regulatory markets, they single out the Climate Action Reserve for its credibility, transparency and commitment to strong environmental safeguards.

The high degree of credibility and transparency achieved by the Reserve is currently unmatched by any other registry. Therefore, we believe that the Reserve currently provides the best available option for project developers, and consumers in the voluntary offsets market.

The letter signatories include:

Connie Best, Managing Director
The Pacific Forest Trust

Bernadette Del Chiaro, Director Clean Energy and Global Warming Programs
Environment California

Peter Miller, Senior Scientist
Natural Resources Defense Council

David Moulton, Director Climate Policy and Conservation Funding
The Wilderness Society

Erin Rogers, Western Region Climate Campaign Manager
Union of Concerned Scientists

Rob Sargeant, Energy Program Director
Environment America

Carl Zichella, Director of Western Renewable Programs
Sierra Club

“These environmental organizations recognize that while voluntary emissions offsets are not adequate to stopping global warming on their own, they are an important part of the solution as they can deliver environmental benefits above and beyond mandatory limits. Considering this, we felt it was important to recognize and support a program that we believe ensures that offsets actually achieve true environmental benefits,” Miller said.

“We are truly honored to be supported by some of the most notable and highly respected individuals and organizations in the environmental movement today. Through public involvement, transparent processes and wide-industry participation, we have established the Climate Action Reserve as an offsets program that provides environmental benefit, integrity and credibility while still encouraging financial value in the voluntary offset market. This letter of support provides tremendous validation of this work, and we will strive to continue to raise these standards as we expand our offset protocols across North America,” said Linda Adams, Chair of the Climate Action Reserve Board of Directors and Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency.

About the Climate Action Reserve:
The Climate Action Reserve is a U.S. private nonprofit organization representing international interests in addressing climate change and bringing together participants from the government, environment and business sectors. It works to ensure environmental benefit, integrity and transparency in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions accounting and reduction and progressive movement in GHG emissions policy nationally and in the Western U.S. The Climate Action Reserve is parent to three programs, the California Climate Action Registry, Climate Action Reserve and Center for Climate Action. As the subsequent organization of the California Climate Action Registry, the Climate Action Reserve continues building on the California Registry’s reputation as a respected and internationally recognized leader in climate change issues.