SACRAMENTO – June 30, 2015 – American Carbon Registry (ACR), a nonprofit enterprise of Winrock International, applauds the California Air Resources Board (ARB) approval at the June 25 board meeting to adopt a U.S. compliance offset protocol for rice cultivation. The adoption of ARB’s first crop-based offset protocol is a critical step in encouraging emissions reductions from the agriculture sector under California’s landmark Cap-and-Trade Program. The agriculture sector presents a key opportunity to generate offsets for the California market, where greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters like power plants and oil refineries are mandated to reduce emissions. The regulation allows these entities to use ARB-approved offset credits for up to eight percent of their emissions – over 200 million metric tons through 2020.

The regulation also cites ACR’s voluntary offset methodology for Emissions Reductions in Rice Management Systems as an approved Early Action Quantification Methodology, providing an important on-ramp for rice producers in California and the Mid-South to get credit for their pioneering initiatives to reduce methane emissions through practice changes in water management, such as reduced flooding and altered drainage timing. ACR published its rice management offset methodology in 2013 after two years of development. The ACR methodology, which includes modules for both California and Mid-South rice producers, was developed and piloted under a USDA Conservation Innovation Grant by Terra Global Capital LLC in partnership with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Applied Geosolutions, LLC, the California Rice Commission, and the White River Irrigation District.

To date, three rice cultivation offset projects in California, Arkansas, and Mississippi have been listed by ACR, totaling 21 farmers with 253 fields on 22,213 acres. ACR expects the generation of the first offset credits from these projects later this year.

“We are excited about ARB’s approval of the rice cultivation offset protocol and to see projects come to market from the two leading U.S. rice growing regions – Sacramento, where ACR is based, and Winrock’s home state of Arkansas,” stated Mary Grady, ACR director of business development.

ACR has placed priority on the development, approval, and piloting of offset methodologies for the agriculture and land use sectors, given the enormous emissions reduction opportunity. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2014 GHG inventory, the U.S. agriculture sector is responsible for 516 million metric tons, or eight percent, of domestic GHG emissions per year. Rice cultivation is the third largest source of methane emissions in the sector, and the top two rice producing states, Arkansas and California, are responsible for over half of U.S. emissions from rice production.

“Consistent with our parent Winrock’s commitment to sustainable agriculture, one of ACR’s primary objectives is to advance innovative approaches to support low emissions practices in agriculture by strengthening the scientific and market infrastructure for agricultural GHG mitigation,” said John Kadyszewski, ACR director. “We hope ARB will consider adding new protocols to allow working landowners to be paid for delivering environmental benefits from actions on their land, such as ACR-approved methodologies for Fertilizer Management, Wetland Restoration, Compost Additions to Grazed Grasslands, Grazing Land and Livestock Management, and Avoided Conversion of Grasslands.”

The Office of Administrative Law is expected to approve the Rice Cultivation offset protocol, along with other changes in the regulation, in the fall.

Los Angeles, April 29, 2015 – Last night, the American Carbon Registry (ACR), a nonprofit enterprise of Winrock International, hosted its annual gala reception to recognize and thank its members and partners. ACR Director John Kadyszewski welcomed guests and presented highlights from the year. He described the awards to be presented to recognize outstanding environmental achievements including the individual Climate Leadership award, as well as corporate awards based on ACR’s guiding principles of innovation, quality and excellence.

Kadyszewski presented ACR’s Climate Leadership award to Tom Vilsack, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture in recognition of his career-long dedication to natural resource conservation. As Governor of Iowa, Vilsack created a comprehensive program to encourage private landowners to implement conservation practices showing that you could have clean air, clean water enhanced wildlife habitat and positive economic outcomes. He took the lead in the Governor’s Ethanol Coalition making Iowa a national leader in alternative energy and renewable fuels. Most recently as Secretary of Agriculture he has helped farmers, ranchers and forest landowners mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change through a host of programs focused on incentives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support resiliency on working lands as well as to increase investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency, advanced biofuels and other cutting edge industries that reduce fossil fuel consumption, create jobs and protect the environment. The tangible result of his accomplishments is a U.S. agriculture sector that can be held up as a model for the world in terms of food and energy security, rural economic benefit and environmental stewardship.

“I am honored to accept this award from the American Carbon Registry on behalf of the real climate leaders–America’s farmers, ranchers and forest landowners,” said Secretary Vilsack. “They are responding to climate change and more severe weather as they have other challenges, with resilience, innovation and a commitment to stewardship for future generations. USDA is proud to support agricultural producers and forest landowners as they continue to implement strategies that reduce carbon emissions and strengthen our agriculture and clean energy economies.”

Round Valley Indian Tribes and White Mountain Apache Tribe were honored with the ACR Commitment to Quality award for using high quality forest carbon offset projects registered under the California Air Resources Board’s rigorous offset program to advance the higher purpose of reinforcing tribal values. The sale of the carbon offsets from the projects offers a significant revenue stream for the tribes, promoting economic development, financial independence and security, and conservation of their forests for future generations.

Round Valley’s 5,550-acre Improved Forest Management Project on the tribe’s northern California reservation has been issued over 540,000 ARB Offset Credits, which can be used by regulated entities towards their emissions reduction obligation under the California Cap-and-Trade program.

Joe Dukepoo, Round Valley Tribal Councilman who also served as the Round Valley Indian Tribes Vice-President during the development of the project, said “We are proud to be a leading tribe in the innovative carbon market that reinforces our goal of sustainable forestry to maintain levels of wildlife, native plants, fish, clean water, and reduced fire threats. This project also is in line with the tribes’ mission to ensure that our future generations enjoy the benefits of a healthy forest.”

White Mountain Apache Tribe’s 89,000 acre Improved Forest Management Project on the Fort Apache reservation in the White Mountains of Eastern Arizona was listed on ACR, has completed verification and is expected to earn ARB Offset Credits in the coming months.

“We are extremely proud of the fact that our legacy of holistic, culturally sensitive, and sustainable management of our forest lands has allowed us to pursue such an incredibly complex, yet rewarding project,” stated Jonathan Brooks, the Tribal Forestry Director and carbon project manager. “The project not only helps combat the threat of climate change and global warming, but also provides the Tribe with economic benefits which are secondary to the ecological, cultural, and spiritual benefits that we have always realized from our prized forest lands.”

The Innovation award went to the four entities that developed a first-of-a-kind carbon offset methodology to quantify emissions reductions from the application of compost to rangelands: Terra Global Capital, Environmental Defense Fund, Marin Carbon Project and Silver Lab at U.C. Berkeley. The methodology was developed by Terra Global Capital with support from the other awardees and was funded by USDA’s Conservation Innovation Grant program, which aims to stimulate the adoption of innovative approaches to environmental stewardship in the agriculture sector.

Restoration of rangelands with perennial grasses to increase forage production and soil carbon sequestration improves water holding capacity and increases the resiliency of the grazing system. Rangelands in the West are currently under pressure of conversion to urban development and croplands. Finding new revenue streams for ranchers helps keep them on the ranch and preserves and enhances these valuable natural areas. The methodology gives ranchers a link to carbon finance to support improved stewardship.

“We are honored to be recognized by ACR for our work. Emission reductions from range and pasture lands provide a valuable climate change mitigation opportunity, and the ACR compost protocol is one key component of developing economic benefits for production of these environmental assets”, said Founder, Managing Director Terra Global Capital.

The ACR Corporate Excellence award was presented to four companies for their work to voluntarily accelerate reductions in long-haul trucking fleet GHG emissions: IdleAir, Truckers Carbon Exchange, Marten Transport and Crete Carrie Corporation. The emissions reduction potential from the use of anti-idling technology and fleet efficiency in long-haul transport is enormous, estimated at over 650 million tons CO2 by 2021 in the U.S. alone. The adoption rates of these technologies are very low, however, due to up-front installation costs. Carbon markets provide the opportunity to fund the initial investments by offering a path to monetization of the environmental benefits.

IdleAir’s Truck Stop Electrification (TSE) technology provides long-haul truck drivers an alternative to idling their engines while resting, providing the ability to shut down their engines and still maintain a comfortable cabin temperature, sustain vehicle battery charge and power electronics such as televisions and laptops. TSE provides other benefits such as cleaner air with the reduction of black carbon and soot emitted from diesel engines, reduced noise pollution, local job creation, and an increased tax base for the local economy. And drivers benefit from improved sleeping conditions without the noise, vibration and exhaust fumes from idling and are therefore better rested and safer on the road. In its ten years of operation, IdleAir has mitigated over 600,000 tons of GHG emissions and over one billion pounds of aggregate emissions while avoiding the use of 60 million gallons of diesel fuel.

“IdleAir is grateful to have ACR recognize our work within the trucking industry to improve the quality of life for truck drivers while protecting the environment, stated Ethan Garber, IdleAir President and CEO. “Carbon finance has been a critical ingredient in growing our business which uses off-peak domestic grid power as a substitute for diesel idling. We are excited to partner with ACR in developing international TSE standards that can help to accelerate the export of IdleAir solutions with both grid and renewable power sources outside of the USA.”

Truckers Carbon Exchange (TCO2X) has broken new ground for the development of carbon offsets in the U.S. trucking industry, a major user of carbon-based fuels. During 2014, TCO2X led the successful development of innovative projects in this area working with two of the industry’s premiere companies; Crete Carrier Corp in Lincoln NE and Marten Transport in Mondovi WI. These trucking companies have demonstrated a commitment to improve efficiency and reduce their carbon footprints at a rate that greatly exceeds the rest of the trucking industry through pioneering the use of new and innovative technologies throughout their fleets. By linking these efficiency improvements to their benefits in carbon reduction, the projects have demonstrated how the carbon markets can be used to fund carbon emission reductions in the trucking industry.

“Trucking is a tough and competitive business. It is very capital-intensive and operates on low margins. Each trucking company must constantly make trade-offs between capital costs and efficiency. These projects have shown that carbon markets can be used to help fund the capital costs of technologies to improve efficiency,” noted Truckers Carbon Exchange founder and trucking industry veteran Thomas Rushfeldt. “Both Crete and Marten have committed to re-invest all net proceeds from the sale of carbon offsets into additional efficiency measures further reducing fuel consumption and carbon emissions. I would like to thank the American Carbon Registry (ACR) and Element Markets for their help and guidance throughout the development of these exciting new projects in a totally new industry.”

SAN FRANCISCO, March 27, 2014 – Last night, the American Carbon Registry (ACR), a nonprofit enterprise of Winrock International, hosted its annual gala reception to recognize and thank its members and partners. ACR Director John Kadyszewski welcomed guests and presented highlights from the year. He described the awards to be presented to recognize outstanding environmental achievements including the individual Climate Leadership award, as well as corporate awards based on ACR’s guiding principles of innovation, quality and excellence.

Kadyszewski presented ACR’s Climate Leadership award to Joseph Goffman, Associate Assistant Administrator and Senior Counsel in the Office of Air and Radiation at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in recognition of his assiduous pursuit of market solutions to benefit the environment. Goffman has led the development of cutting-edge climate policy for more than 30 years from multiple positions on Capitol Hill, at the Environmental Defense Fund, and at EPA including the first cap and trade program for air pollution, which provided a convincing demonstration of the power of markets to achieve environmental goals cost effectively.

“Joe is respected by his peers for his ability to bring together people from different perspectives willing to find common ground and for his creativity in finding actions that yield tangible results,” Kadyszewski said. “His career-long accomplishments and ongoing efforts offer hope that meaningful results can be accomplished quickly and we hope his example will inspire other individuals to action.”

The Innovation award went to three entities that have each pioneered the development of first-of-a-kind carbon offset projects in the agriculture sector: Terra Global Capital, Ducks Unlimited and the Delta Institute. All three awardees are piloting offset projects under USDA’s Conservation Innovation Grant program, which aims to stimulate the adoption of innovative approaches to environmental stewardship in the agriculture sector. The projects all mark important milestones in broadening the opportunities for farmers and landowners to participate in carbon markets, incentivizing adoption of voluntary actions to reduce emissions.

Terra Global Capital was recognized with the Innovation award for the development of a 5,000 acre rice management project in California’s Sacramento Valley, recently listed on ACR, and based on the ACR methodology for Emissions Reductions in Rice Management systems developed by Terra Global. Rice cultivation is the third largest source of methane emissions in the U.S. agriculture sector, and the top two rice producing states, Arkansas and California, are responsible for over half of U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from rice production. Participating farmers in this first rice project will implement voluntary management practices on their fields to reduce methane emissions, earning carbon credits to be sold in the voluntary and potentially the California carbon markets.

“We are honored to be recognized by ACR for this important first step of operationalizing U.S. agricultural GHG offsets. This would not be possible without the support of the participating growers and from our funders and partners including EDF, California Rice Commission, and Applied Geosolutions”, said Leslie Durschinger, Founder, Managing Director Terra Global Capital.

Ducks Unlimited (DU) received the Innovation award for their cutting edge conservation project in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota, a vast area of grasslands and wetlands that provides a vital wildlife habitat. In this region, annual losses of native grasslands to crop production have averaged approximately 50,000 acres per year since 2007, leading to significant GHG emissions due to the release of carbon dioxide from soils when they are tilled. DU’s project is preserving the carbon sequestered in the soil by avoiding the conversion of these valuable prairies to cropland. Currently DU is working to complete the verification and validation of the project that is in the pilot stage working with landowners in eight counties in North Dakota to help them generate income from the sale of carbon credits generated through the preservation of their grasslands.

“Ranchers in the Dakotas and Montana are looking for ways to keep their livestock operations viable,” said Steve Adair, director of DU’s Great Plains Region. “DU, with assistance from partners, developed a methodology to measure carbon captured and stored by native prairie and is working to develop a carbon credit opportunity to provide landowners an extra incentive to maintain the grasslands and wetlands, instead of converting the land to crop production.”

The Delta Institute was presented with the Innovation award for the registration on ACR of the first U.S. fertilizer management project, a Michigan pilot currently in verification for reducing nitrogen fertilizer use on corn. Nitrogen fertilizers, one of the largest agricultural sources of GHG emissions, result in emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), a GHG with approximately 300 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. Corn is among the most intensive uses of fertilizer and represents a significant opportunity for nitrogen use efficiencies that could reduce GHG emissions while maintaining or improving yields. The project is the first in the recently launched Delta Nitrogen Credit Program, via which qualified Corn Belt farmers who change their nitrogen fertilizer management practices will receive payments from the sale of carbon credits.

“We are proud of this recognition by ACR of our nine years of work with Midwest farmers to create and implement market-driven solutions to build environmental resilience, such as the Delta Nitrogen Credit Program,” said Delta Institute CEO Jean Pogge. “Farmers are the ultimate stewards of our land and water resources, and this program demonstrates that they can reduce emissions while producing food, fuel, and fiber. We are excited to have many great partners on this innovative program to incentivize low emissions agricultural practices.”

The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) received the ACR Utility Excellence award for almost seven decades of environmental leadership and a demonstrated commitment to reducing its climate impact. The utility’s deep-rooted commitment to renewable energy has made Sacramento’s community-owned electric utility one of the cleanest in the nation. Combining renewable resources such as wind and solar with the hydroelectricity generated in the Upper American River Project, nearly 50 percent of SMUD’s power mix comes from non-carbon emitting sources. In addition, SMUD has a long history as a national leader in internal and customer-facing environment programs. SMUD’s own buildings are designed to be energy efficient: SMUD’s Customer Service Center is an award winning LEED Platinum building, as is the recently-completed SMUD East Campus Operations Center, the most energy-efficient corporate yard in the nation and a net-zero energy site. In addition, SMUD is reducing its vehicle emissions through the use of low carbon fuels as well as investments in a fleet of electric and hybrid vehicles. SMUD’s customer-facing environmental initiatives such as SolarSmart, Greenergy and Home Performance Program have also yielded impressive results. Over 50,000 customers have joined Greenergy to invest in renewable energy, 1,000 Solar Smart Homes have been built, and energy efficiency programs have resulted in customer savings of $950 million. Aside from technical merits, SMUD boasts rates that are among the lowest in California and for a decade has received the top customer satisfaction scores among all California utilities.

“SMUD is very honored to receive this award. One of SMUD’s Core Values is Environmental Protection,” said Rob Kerth, a member of SMUD Board of Directors. “As the community-owned electric utility serving the state capital, SMUD is committed to reducing our region’s carbon emissions to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent by the year 2050. We also have the most aggressive energy efficiency goals of any utility in the state.”

The Climate Trust was honored with the ACR Commitment to Quality award for the organization’s time-tested dedication to focusing on the quality of offsets that they procure on behalf of voluntary and regulated carbon market clients. In 1997, The Climate Trust was founded as a nonprofit organization to acquire carbon offsets on behalf of new fossil-fueled power plants regulated by the Oregon Carbon Dioxide Standard, the nation’s first legislation to curb emissions of carbon dioxide. Since that time, The Climate Trust has retired over 1.5 million tons of offsets and committed over $17 million to projects that not only reduce GHG emissions, but also conserve habitats, create jobs, improve air quality, preserve biodiversity and benefit water quality. ACR applauds The Climate Trust’s pioneering work to foster initiatives important to market integrity such as their founding role of the Offset Quality Initiative, in which ACR, The Climate Group, the Climate Action Reserve and the Pew Center on Global Climate Change were partners.

“Our strategy has been to focus on innovative offset projects in high-impact sectors that create multiple benefits for communities and the environment—all while meeting rigorous, third-party standards,” said

Sean Penrith, CEO of The Climate Trust. “We appreciate ACR’s recognition of our commitment to quality, which is fundamental both to the success of our business and the market.”

The nonprofit American Carbon Registry (ACR), an enterprise of Winrock International, is a leading carbon offset program recognized for its high standards for environmental integrity. Founded in 1996 as the first voluntary GHG registry in the world, ACR has over 18 years of unparalleled voluntary carbon market experience in the development of rigorous, science-based offset methodologies and operational experience in the oversight of offset project verification, registration, offset issuance and retirement reporting. In addition to its voluntary carbon market activities, ACR is an approved Offset Project Registry and Early Action Offset Program for the California Cap-and-Trade Program. In this role, ACR works with the state regulatory agency to oversee the registration and issuance of Offset Credits, which can be converted to compliance credits and used by California entities to help meet their emissions reductions obligations. ACR has issued 40 million tons of emissions reduction credits and continues to lead voluntary carbon market innovation.

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Dec. 12, 2013 – Today a high-profile group of partners – the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy, the California Coastal Conservancy, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), the American Carbon Registry (ACR), The Nature Conservancy, HydroFocus and Tierra Resources – announce the kick-off meetings for development of a new carbon offset methodology to scientifically quantify greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions from the restoration of California deltaic and coastal wetlands. Funding for methodology development was provided by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) the California Coastal Conservancy, Metropolitan Water District and DWR.

Opportunities are abundant to enhance current land-use practices by restoring wetlands in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, Suisun Marsh, and California coastal areas. Restoration activities that rebuild subsided lands are critical to long-term sustainability of these ecosystems as well as a significant source of GHG emissions reductions.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, more than 80 percent of historic tidal wetlands disappeared in the last 150 years. Over 2.5 billion cubic meters of organic soils have disappeared since delta islands were first diked and drained for agriculture in the late 1800s, resulting in land subsidence up to 25 feet below sea level. Drained and cultivated organic soils continue to oxidize, subside and emit an estimated 1.5 to 2 million metric tons of CO2-equivalent annually – equal to annual emissions from approximately 310,000 passenger vehicles.

“Demonstrating that the critical restoration work we need to accomplish throughout the state is also part of the solution to climate change will be crucial to meeting the state’s coastal management goals in the years to come,” said Sam Schuchat, Executive Officer of the State Coastal Conservancy.

Providing options for landowners to convert their most subsided and marginal lands from current farming practices to either wetlands managed for carbon enhancements or to production of wetland crops such as rice could substantially reduce these annual emissions while reducing risks such as levy failure.

“Having an approved methodology will allow for trading carbon credits, giving Delta growers opportunities to put low-productivity wet areas back into economic production, while simultaneously starting to reverse the subsidence that threatens their long-term viability,” said Campbell Ingram, Executive Officer of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy.

Over the past decade, state and federal initiatives have raised over $100 million for wetland restoration, resulting in tens of thousands of acres of active restoration projects, however, the funding remains insufficient to meet established restoration goals of up to 100,000 acres of marsh. Carbon market revenues could help fill the funding gap for wetland restoration and provide landowners with new incentives. Once approved, the methodology will facilitate the generation of carbon offsets from California wetland restoration projects that reduce GHG emissions. Carbon offsets can be sold to corporations to meet their voluntary emissionsreduction goals. Additional sources of offsets are also being considered by California regulators for eligibility in the state’s Cap-and-Trade Program, under which power plants and oil refineries are mandated to reduce or offset their emissions.

Obadiah Bartholomy, SMUD Project Manager for Energy Efficiency, R&D and Climate Change said, “We see this as an excellent opportunity all around for the region, helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions, delivering economic and environmental co-benefits, and building resilience to climate change driven sea level rise in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.”

Building on ACR’s approved methodology for quantifying GHG emissions reductions from Restoration of Degraded Deltaic Wetlands of the Mississippi Delta, authored by Tierra Resources, the partnership will integrate California data and restoration techniques to create a rigorous scientific framework for carbon offset project development. Research in freshwater emergent wetlands on delta organic soils shows that carbon capture wetlands are the most carbon-rich landscape per acre. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), DWR, HydroFocus and the University of California at Berkeley have been studying subsidence, GHG emissions, rice and managed wetlands in the delta since the 1980s and have documented very high rates of primary productivity and carbon sequestration in wetlands.

“Development of this greenhouse gas quantification protocol is an important milestone to advance the critical role that wetlands and natural resource restoration should play in climate solutions, while providing new economic incentives to landowners,” said Michelle Passaro, Senior Policy Representative for Climate Change at The Nature Conservancy.

The ACR approval process for the methodology, which includes stakeholder workshops, a public comment period and a scientific peer review process, is expected to be completed in December 2014. The first stakeholder workshop was held yesterday in Oakland and another will be held today in West Sacramento. For more information, contact Kyle Hemes at khemes@winrock.org.

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About the Partners

The American Carbon Registry (ACR), a nonprofit enterprise of Winrock International, is a leading carbon offset program recognized for its strong standards for environmental integrity. Founded in 1996 as the first private greenhouse gas registry in the world, ACR has over 18 years of unparalleled experience in the voluntary carbon market. In addition, ACR is an approved Offset Project Registry (OPR) for the California Cap-and-Trade Program. In this role, ACR works with the state regulatory agency to oversee the registration and issuance of Offset Credits, which can be converted to compliance credits and used by California entities to help meet their emissions reductions obligations. Visit www.americancarbonregistry.org.

The California Coastal Conservancy acts with others to preserve, protect, and restore the resources of the California coast, ocean, and the San Francisco Bay Area.  Our vision is of a beautiful, restored, and accessible coastline, ocean and San Francisco Bay Area.  Visit www.scc.ca.gov

The California Department of Water Resources is responsible for managing and protecting California’s water. DWR works with other agencies to benefit the state’s people, and to protect, restore and enhance the natural and human environments.

HydroFocus Principal Steve Deverel has worked on subsidence and carbon issues in the delta since the 1980s. HydroFocus will play a lead role in developing the scientific underpinnings for methodology development and play a major role in writing and adapting the Mississippi Delta protocol to California conditions. HydroFocus will develop and provide guidance and data requirements for use of models for estimation and baseline carbon emissions and project GHG benefits.

The Sacramento-SanJoaquin Delta Conservancy’s primary purpose is to help implement projects that will result in integrated environmental, economic and social benefits. To reach that goal, the Conservancy works in collaboration with local communities, interested groups and state and federal agencies to seek creative opportunities to address challenges and reach agreement for moving these efforts forward. The Delta Conservancy in coordination with ACR will help interface with stakeholders and ARB.

The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) is the nation’s sixth largest communityowned electric service provider and has been providing low-cost, reliable electricity for more than 67 years to Sacramento County as well as a small portion of Placer County. SMUD is a recognized industry leader and award winner for its innovative energy efficiency programs, renewable power technologies, and for its sustainable solutions for a healthier environment. SMUD is the first large California utility to receive more than 20 percent of its energy from renewable resources. For more information visit http://smud.org.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than one million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.

Tierra Resources, was founded in New Orleans in 2007 with a mission to conserve, protect, and restore coastal wetland ecosystems by creating innovative solutions that support investment into blue carbon contained in coastal wetland ecosystems, such as estuaries, mangroves, and salt marshes. Tierra Resources’ services enable landowners, corporations, nonprofits, and government clients to understand the regulatory, financial, and scientific landscape to preserve and restore wetlands and monetize wetland offsets. Tierra Resources President and CEO Dr. Sarah Mack was the lead author of the original Mississippi Delta methodology.  Dr. Mack will serve as advisor and reviewer for the development of the California modules. Visit www.tierraresourcesllc.com.

SAN FRANCISCO, April 17, 2013 – Last night, the American Carbon Registry (ACR), a nonprofit enterprise of Winrock International, hosted its annual awards event. Welcoming invitees, Winrock President and CEO Rodney Ferguson affirmed Winrock’s continued commitment to supporting the American Carbon Registry in its role as an innovator in the voluntary carbon market, as well as in the role of helping to make the California cap-and-trade program a success.

ACR Director John Kadyszewski presented ACR’s Climate Leadership award to Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in recognition of decades of inexorable passion and leadership to motivate climate action by governments, businesses and individuals.

“Christiana shares Winrock’s belief in the science of climate change and our deep-rooted concern that climate change will have a disproportionate impact on the poor,” Kadyszewski said. “She believes that climate change is the greatest challenge we face in the world today, but also that addressing the challenge provides an unparalleled global opportunity to spur an ambitious technology revolution. This conviction has led her to dedicate her career to achieving meaningful commitments and a global policy framework for climate action, to engaging the private sector to accelerate the industrial transformation, and to inspire civil society to be part of the solution. She has taken on this challenge fearlessly, thanklessly and with enthusiasm. We are proud to honor her with our Climate Leadership award and know that along with us, future generations will be grateful for her work.”

ACR also recognized outstanding environmental achievements of trailblazing organizations with awards based on the organization’s guiding principles of innovation, quality and excellence. The Innovation award went to two pioneering entities that made possible the development and piloting of a revolutionary U.S. carbon offset methodology for deltaic wetland restoration: Tierra Resources and Entergy Corporation. The methodology, developed by Tierra Resources with funding from Entergy’s Environmental Initiatives Fund, creates a pathway through the sale of carbon offsets to raise much-needed funds for wetland restoration. Tierra Resources is piloting the first projects under the methodology in the Mississippi Delta and plans to work with ACR to expand the methodology for applicability in California.

“As a scientist, I chose to work with the American Carbon Registry because of the team’s extensive knowledge of terrestrial carbon sequestration and science-based approach to ensure the environmental integrity of offsets,” said Dr. Sarah Mack, CEO of Tierra Resources. “We are proud of this recognition of the many years of work that led to the development and approval of this first-of-its-kind methodology and are thrilled to be blazing the trail to register the first blue carbon wetland restoration projects on ACR.”

“Entergy is pleased to receive this award from the American Carbon Registry, an organization that has worked with us for more than a decade to explore innovative emission reduction project opportunities,” said Chuck Barlow, vice president, environmental strategy and policy for Entergy Corporation. “Wetland restoration not only will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create jobs but also preserve ecosystems and infrastructure by protecting against storm surge and flooding in the communities Entergy serves.”  General Motors received the ACR Corporate Excellence award for its demonstrated commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and mitigating its climate impact. GM has decreased its manufacturing emissions by 60 percent since 1990, recycles 90 percent of its manufacturing waste, has made reductions in water and fossil fuel use, and invested hundreds of millions of dollars to build fuel-efficient vehicles like the Chevy Volt. In addition to the company’s numerous awards and top environmental sustainability rankings, in 2010 General Motors announced the $40 million Chevrolet Carbon Reduction Initiative, one of the largest voluntary commitments to greenhouse gas reductions in U.S. history. As part of this commitment, Chevrolet is investing in local, community-based carbon-reduction projects throughout the U.S. with a goal of reducing up to eight million tons of CO2 emissions. Through the initiative, Chevrolet will retire carbon credits from a variety of projects including an ACR-registered National Forest Foundation project, which is restoring 250 acres of the San Juan National Forest in Colorado, as well as the ACRregistered IdleAir project, which reduces GHG emissions from long-haul freight transportation through truck stop electrification technology.

“The Chevy Carbon Reduction Initiative takes Chevrolet’s commitment to the environment a step beyond providing fuel efficient and electrified vehicles like the Volt from plants that do not send any wastes to landfills. It’s about connecting with our customers in a different way, a way that directly impacts them and the communities in which they live and work,” said Chris Perry, vice president Chevrolet Marketing. “We appreciate American Carbon Registry’s recognition of our commitment.”

The Walt Disney Company and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation were both honored with the ACR Commitment to Quality award. ACR recognized Disney for its commitment to reviving and restoring forests. The company has invested $30 million in global forest carbon projects, and purchases only the highest-quality offsets that meet rigorous environmental criteria. Disney met its 2012 net direct greenhouse gas emissions target through a hierarchy of avoiding fuels where possible, using fuel more efficiently, seeking low-carbon alternatives, and lastly through investing in forest carbon projects. Since 2009, Disney has invested in a number of forest conservation, reforestation, and forest management projects designed to avoid or sequester carbon emissions. One of those projects is an ACR-registered National Forest Foundation project to reforest 900 acres in the Angeles National Forest through the planting of 154,000 trees to help recover from the Station Fire.

ACR selected the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to highlight the organization’s pilot activities, such as reforestation and fertilizer management projects to be registered on ACR, that will not only provide quantifiable water quality benefits for the Chesapeake Bay watershed, but will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“Our mission is to save the Chesapeake Bay,” said Dr. Beth McGee, Chesapeake Bay Foundation senior water quality scientist. . “It will be a win-win if we can demonstrate through our pilot projects that the carbon market can provide alternate revenue streams to help local farmers and landowners adopt practices that will improve water quality in addition to achieving real greenhouse gas emission reduction benefits.”

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The non-profit American Carbon Registry, (ACR), an enterprise of Winrock International, is a leading carbon offset program recognized for its strong standards for environmental integrity. Founded in 1996, ACR has over fifteen years of unparalleled experience in development of rigorous, science-based carbon offset standards and methodologies as well as operational experience in the oversight of high quality offset project verification, registration, offset issuance, serialization and transparent on-line transaction and retirement reporting. In addition to its voluntary carbon market activities, ACR is an approved Offset Project Registry (OPR) for the California Cap-and-Trade Program. As an OPR, ACR works with the state regulatory agency to oversee the registration and issuance of compliance-eligible Offset Credits. As the first private greenhouse gas registry in the world, ACR has set the bar for offset quality that is the market standard today and continues to lead carbon market innovation.

ARLINGTON, Va. (October 3, 2012) – The American Carbon Registry (ACR), a nonprofit enterprise of Winrock International, announced today the approval of a revolutionary carbon offset methodology to quantify Emission Reductions through Truck Stop Electrification (TSE). The 2011 Environmental

Defense Fund report “The Good Haul” highlighted TSE as one of 10 technologies that can reduce freight-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Developed jointly by ACR and IdleAir, the methodology provides the opportunity to tap the carbon market to accelerate emissions reductions from a critical segment of U.S. freight transportation — long-haul trucking.

Drivers of long-haul trucks are required by the Federal Highway Administration to park and rest after a certain amount of drive time. These layovers and rest periods typically occur at truck stops and rest areas. During the time when drivers rest, they often idle their engines in order to maintain a comfortable temperature and to power electronics and appliances such as televisions, laptops and microwaves. Although idling occurs year-round, it peaks in extreme temperatures when air conditioning and heating are more critical.

Truck idling produces harmful emissions that affect the air quality and potentially the health of truck drivers as well as people in adjacent communities. These emissions include EPA-regulated criteria pollutants in addition to carbon dioxide (CO2), which is responsible for 90 percent of the emissions from idling trucks and contributes to global warming.

TSE technology, such as that developed by IdleAir, allows truck drivers to turn off their engines while maintaining a comfortable cabin temperature and enjoying the use of TV, the internet and other electronics. IdleAir is designed to be simple to use: A driver finds an IdleAir location, pulls into an IdleAir parking space, and installs the reusable plastic window adapter, which connects to the IdleAir electrification unit. IdleAir TSE technology not only reduces GHG emissions from engine idling, but allows truck drivers to sleep better without the noise, vibration, and exhaust fumes from idling. Better rested drivers are safer on the road.

“As a [long-haul truck] owner-operator, I love IdleAir,” explains customer Jeff Robinson. “It leaves me rested and happy, not to mention it saves wear on my engine. Lots of people don’t realize how much idling shortens engine life.”

IdleAir currently operates over 900 parking spaces at 30 sites in 12 states. However, despite the numerous benefits of using the IdleAir technology, the up-front installation costs have hindered widespread expansion. Currently, less than 1 percent of all extended truck parking spaces are equipped with TSE.

“IdleAir is very enthusiastic about the approval of the new ACR methodology,” said Ethan Garber, president and CEO of IdleAir. “This opens the door for us to harness the environmental benefits of TSE to help fund the expansion of our network. Hopefully this methodology will encourage further greening of America’s highways and reduce our dependence on imported oil.”

Argonne National Laboratory estimates that drivers idle for an average of 2,100 hours per year. Applied to the estimated 680,000 long-haul drivers nationwide, idling accounts for nearly 11.5 million tons of GHG emitted annually. Based on a 2011 analysis by ICF International, expanding TSE infrastructure and reducing idling presents an opportunity for CO2 abatement that could amount to nearly 4.1 million tons of reductions annually in the U.S.

“American Carbon Registry is pleased to announce approval of this rigorous framework for quantifying emissions reductions from truck stop electrification,” said Nicholas Martin, ACR chief technical officer. “We recognize the environmental and health benefits of using TSE technology and hope that the methodology will catalyze investments in TSE expansion.”

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Contact:

Mary Grady, American Carbon Registry (ACR) Tel: (805) 884-1961 Email: MGrady@winrock.org

Ethan Garber, IdleAir Tel: (917) 673-6466 Email: Ethan.Garber@idleair.com

About the American Carbon Registry

The nonprofit American Carbon Registry (ACR), an enterprise of Winrock International, is a leading carbon offset program recognized for its strong standards for environmental integrity. Founded in 1996 as the first private voluntary registry in the world, ACR has over 15 years of experience in the development of rigorous, science-based carbon offset standards and methodologies as well as in carbon offset issuance, serialization and transparent online transaction and retirement reporting. ACR has set the bar for transparency and integrity that is the market standard today and continues to lead carbon market innovation.

About IdleAir 

IdleAir provides America’s hard-working long-haul truck drivers an alternative to idling their engines with imported petroleum during rest periods. IdleAir service allows truck drivers to turn off their diesel engines and APU’s and still enjoy heating, cooling, standard electric inside and outside the cab, Satellite TV, internet, and many of the comforts of home — all while saving money and getting better sleep without the noise, vibration, and exhaust fumes from idling.

ARLINGTON, Va. and NEW ORLEANS, La. (Sept. 18, 2012) – A revolutionary new tool is now available to help restore the Gulf of Mexico’s disappearing coastal wetlands — Louisiana’s first line of defense against damaging hurricanes like Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Isaac. Funded by Entergy Corporation, developed by New Orleans-based Tierra Resources and approved for use by the American Carbon Registry (ACR) following stakeholder consultation and scientific peer review, the new tool creates a self-sustaining revenue source for wetlands restoration through the sale of carbon offsets.

Here’s how it works: When Mississippi River delta wetlands are restored, landowners can use the new methodology to calculate the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions the rebuilt wetlands will absorb over time. Included in the calculation are the emissions avoided by slowing the rapid loss of existing wetlands throughout the region. The result is registered carbon credits, which landowners can sell to companies that want to offset their greenhouse gas emissions. The proceeds from the sale of carbon credits help offset the landowner’s costs for wetland restoration activities.

The new ACR offset methodology provides a rigorous scientific framework for project development and is unique in providing for generation of carbon offset credits for a wide range of restoration techniques. This includes reforestation and hydrologic management techniques, such as wetlands assimilation. Such techniques introduce treated municipal effluent, providing fresh water and nutrients to increase wetland productivity.

Entergy has provided additional funding to Tierra Resources to pilot the first wetland restoration offset project in the nation applying the ACR methodology. The project, the Luling Oxidation Pond Wetlands Assimilation project, 19 miles west of New Orleans, will discharge treated municipal wastewater into an adjacent 950-acre wetland property to help restore the wetland’s function and thus increase carbon sequestration.

“With operations that include Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, Entergy values wetlands as a first line of defense against storm surge and flooding, and their protection and restoration are vital to the sustainability of coastal Louisiana,” said Chuck Barlow, vice president, environmental strategy and policy for New Orleansbased Entergy. “Wetland restoration  will not only help restore the coastal cypress forest but will also provide multiple benefits to the citizens of St. Charles parish such as reduced storm surge, potential job creation, and enhanced wildlife and fisheries.”

Tierra Resources initiated the innovative partnership that includes St. Charles Parish and Rathborne Land Company to pursue the project as an alternative to tertiary treatment of municipal effluent. Saint Charles Parish plans to compensate the wetland property owner for the beneficial use of the land through the sale of the carbon offsets generated by the project.

“The partners hope to demonstrate wetlands assimilation as an environmentally beneficial alternative to conventional wastewater treatment, while leveraging the carbon market to compensate the landowner,” said Dr. Sarah Mack, president and CEO of Tierra Resources. “We believe that the results will be highly transferable to other areas and restoration techniques.”

The methodology and pilot project development support was provided by Entergy’s Environmental Initiatives Fund. Through the fund shareholders help companies like Tierra Resources develop leading-edge technologies that align with Entergy’s environmental strategy.

“American Carbon Registry is thrilled to announce approval of the wetlands restoration methodology, which we hope will succeed in leveraging the carbon market to bring much-needed funding for these projects,” said Nicholas Martin, ACR chief technical officer.

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About the American Carbon Registry

The nonprofit American Carbon Registry (ACR), an enterprise of Winrock International, is a leading carbon offset program recognized for its strong standards for environmental integrity. Founded in 1996 as the first private voluntary registry in the world, ACR has 15 years of experience in the development of rigorous, science-based carbon offset standards and methodologies as well as in carbon offset issuance, serialization and transparent online transaction and retirement reporting.

About Entergy Corporation

Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including more than 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $11 billion and approximately 15,000 employees.

About Tierra Resources

Based in New Orleans, La., Tierra Resources was founded in 2007 with a mission to conserve, protect, and restore coastal wetland ecosystems by creating innovative solutions that support investment into blue carbon contained in coastal wetland ecosystems, such as estuaries, mangroves, and salt marshes. Tierra Resources’ services enable landowners, corporations, nonprofits, and government clients to understand the regulatory, financial, and scientific landscape to preserve and restore wetlands and monetize wetland offsets.

Contact:

Mary Grady, American Carbon Registry Tel: (805) 884-1961 Email: mgrady@winrock.org

Mike Burns, Entergy Corporation Tel: (504) 576-4238 Email: mburns@entergy.com

Sarah Mack, Tierra Resources Tel: (504) 339-4547 Email: sarahmack@tierraresourcesllc.com

May 24, 2012: The American Carbon Registry (ACR), a nonprofit enterprise of Winrock International, has launched its APX-powered registry system, the first tailored specifically to meet regulatory requirements for the California compliance market.

With the registry launch and ACR’s official application submitted last week to the California Air Resources Board (ARB) for approval as an offset project registry (OPR), ACR is immediately open to accept listing of carbon offset projects developed using ARB’s compliance offset protocols. ACR staff will attend ARB’s first mandatory OPR and verifier training in late June in fulfillment of application requirements.

“ACR is open and ready for business in California. Our newly minted APX-powered registry offers the opportunity to get a head-start on listing compliance offset projects,” said John Kadyszewski, ACR director. “We aim to provide project developers and offset purchasers the comfort that ACR is aligned with California policy-makers to support robust and timely offset supply at the start of the cap-andtrade program.”

Under California’s cap-and-trade program, which will begin in 2013, the state’s largest sources of GHG emissions will be required to meet the regulatory greenhouse gas (GHG) emission caps. To contain costs, up to eight percent of the compliance obligation of capped entities, estimated at 200 million tons 2013-2020, can be met with ARB offset credits.

ARB has announced that it will leverage the experience and systems of registries like ACR – which has been conducting similar functions in the voluntary market for over 15 years – to act as OPRs, assisting with the implementation of the compliance offset program. Compliance offset projects will be required to register with OPRs, which will oversee the project listing, verification, registration and issuance of California-eligible offset credits developed in uncapped sectors using ARB-approved compliance offset protocols. Once approved by ARB, registry offset credits will be converted to ARB offset credits on the ARB registry.

During ACR’s March webinar on the California offset market, ARB urged project developers not to wait for OPR and verifier approval to start implementing projects using the already published compliance offset protocols (Forestry, Urban Forestry, Ozone Depleting Substances and Livestock). The primary benefit of using the ARB compliance offset protocols is by-passing the additional verification process required for projects developed using early action protocols.

Now that ACR’s compliance-ready registry is open for business and OPR approval on the horizon, we welcome the submission of California compliance offset projects.

Please join us on Wednesday, May 30th for a free webinar to walk-through ACR’s new APX-powered registry including steps to submit an ARB-eligible offset project. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR.

About the American Carbon Registry

The nonprofit American Carbon Registry (ACR), an enterprise of Winrock International, is a leading carbon offset program recognized for its strong standards for environmental integrity. Founded in 1996 as the first private voluntary registry in the world, ACR has 15 years of experience in the development of rigorous, science-based carbon offset standards and methodologies as well as in carbon offset issuance, serialization and transparent online transaction and retirement reporting. ACR has set the bar for transparency and integrity that is the market standard today and continues to lead carbon market innovation.

Contact:

Mary Grady, American Carbon Registry Tel: (805) 884-1961 Email: mgrady@winrock.org