SAN FRANCISCO, April 20, 2017 – 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, presented highlights from the year and described the awards to be presented, including the individual Climate Leadership award as well as organizational awards based on ACR’s guiding principles of innovation, quality and excellence.

Kadyszewski presented ACR’s Climate Leadership award to Dr. Sandra Brown, Winrock senior scientist and former director of Winrock’s Ecosystem Services Group, for four decades of work advancing the understanding of the role forests play in the global carbon cycle. Brown, who passed away in February, led arguments in the international negotiations to include forest management and protection as critical tools to combat global climate change. Her science provided the foundation for the area of work now called REDD — Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation. A celebrated international forest carbon expert, Brown published over 200 peer reviewed papers. She also knew how to achieve consensus and was notorious for her clarity of thinking and strong convictions. She was a critical member of the team recognized with the Nobel Prize in 2007, serving as a co-convening lead author on the contribution of forests, agriculture and other land uses to climate change for five Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Reports. When she joined Winrock in 1998, Brown wanted to build a team that could apply her science to solving real world problems related to forests and climate change. She knew that many people depend on forests for their livelihoods and pioneered cost-effective methods for measurement, monitoring and verification (MRV) of carbon stored in forests so that landowners, communities, companies and governments could be compensated for the value of carbon services provided by forests and for preserving them.

When asked about the practical applications of her life’s work in a 2010 interview, Brown replied, “I’d like to see a country implement REDD at larger-than-project scale and get someone to finance the GHG reductions. This would demonstrate how to get a transaction done. I’d like to see that happen as evidence that we agree on the science, that the policy is in place, and that the market accepts that the reductions are good and real.”

As her last major endeavor, Brown and her team piloted a national forest carbon accounting system in Guyana to reduce deforestation. The rigorous MRV system resulted in almost $200 million in payments from Norway and established Guyana’s baseline forestry emissions. Consequently, Guyana was the first country in the world to submit a reference level to the UNFCCC that includes forest degradation, solidifying Guyana’s leadership role in REDD and Brown’s enduring legacy.

The Excellence award was presented to the state of Washington for leadership in fighting climate change through the newly adopted Clean Air Rule. ACR jointly recognized the office of Washington Gov. Jay Inslee for directing the development of a regulatory cap on carbon emissions and the Department of Ecology for developing the rule under the state’s Clean Air Act. Under the landmark new rule, Washington businesses such as power plants, petroleum refiners and manufacturers of metal and cement, which are collectively responsible for two-thirds of carbon pollution in the state, are required to cap and reduce emissions starting in 2017. The cap will decline every three years through 2035, gradually covering more emitters. To meet their emissions reduction obligations, regulated entities can reduce emissions on-site, trade emissions reductions achieved beyond the cap, or use emissions reductions generated in the state from a wide variety of project categories, nine of which are cited ACR offset project types. Washington’s Clean Air Rule demonstrates that jurisdictions can effectively adopt carbon markets by leveraging existing infrastructure and streamlined processes.

“While creating one of the nation’s most vital economies, Washington state has always remained true to its reputation as an innovator and a leader in clean energy,” noted Gov. Inslee. “We’re proud to demonstrate that a powerful economy and a commitment to a low carbon, clean energy system go hand in hand, and we thank the American Carbon Registry for recognizing our latest efforts.”

The ACR Commitment to Quality award went to BP America, the last decade’s largest energy investor in the U.S., for the company’s role in the California offset market. Besides being a large compliance entity, BP has leveraged its experience in global carbon markets to help itself and others comply with the California regulation at the least cost and risk. BP America has developed and brought to market offset credits from over 60 projects to date, including forestry, ODS destruction and mine methane capture. These projects not only represent significant volumes of emissions reductions, but they also lead to long-term, sustainable economic development and opportunities for partners and the communities in which they operate. BP’s desire to provide high-quality offsets has made them a leader in the commercialization of Golden offsets, which provide assurance of quality and integrity to compliance entities. BP’s ability to provide Golden offsets reflects an involvement across all levels of their development.

“We aim to build deep and enduring relationships with governments, partners, customers and suppliers. These relationships, such as our long partnership with ACR, are key to our ability to provide high-quality products that also produce enormous benefits for our customers and for local communities,” said Enric Arderiu, Project Originator for BP’s Global Environmental Projects division.

The Innovation award was presented to the developers of two landmark methodologies, one for California wetland restoration and the other for the transition to low global warming potential foams.

ACR honored the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy as the lead agency, HydroFocus as the lead author and both U.C. Berkeley and Tierra Resources for technical support for the development of the methodology for the Restoration of California Deltaic and Coastal Wetlands. Funding for the methodology was provided by the California Coastal Conservancy, Department of Water Resources, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Metropolitan Water District and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD).

In the San Francisco Bay Area, more than 90 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 in the delta continue to oxidize, subside and emit an estimated one to two million metric tons of CO2-equivalent annually — equal to annual emissions from over 300,000 passenger vehicles.

“We have been pleased to work with ACR and other partners on this methodology and appreciate the recognition,” said Steve Deverel, president of HydroFocus. “Restoration activities that rebuild subsided lands are critical to long-term ecosystem sustainability, are important to reducing the risk of levy failure and sea level rise, and are a significant source of GHG emissions reductions.”

“State and federal funding remains insufficient to address land subsidence that threatens the California water system, and carbon market revenues could help fill the funding gap,” added Campbell Ingram, executive officer of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy. ”The new ACR methodology provides an incentive to landowners in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, Suisun Marsh and other historically natural wetland areas in California to convert their most subsided and marginal agricultural lands to wetlands, or to produce wetlands crops such as rice, which will stop land subsidence and reverse it over time.””

ACR honored Dentons U.S. for the development of the methodology for the Transition to Advanced Formulation Blowing Agents in Foam Manufacturing and Use.  Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which have global warming potentials (GWPs) up to 4,000 times higher than CO2, are commonly used blowing agents that are released during manufacture, use and at end-of-life of foams. Foam blowing agents are used in numerous applications, including refrigerators and freezers; industrial refrigeration systems and refrigerated transport; boats and buoys; and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. HFCs are also considered short-lived climate pollutants, so mitigating emissions of HFC is important for limiting near-term climate impacts. Alternatives to HFC-based blowing agents are available but are not commonly used in the foam manufacturing industry due to cost and other challenges. The new methodology is intended to provide access to carbon finance to increase uptake of available advanced technologies and accelerate a transition to low-GWP blowing agents. It also supports California’s goal of reducing HFCs by 40 percent below 2013 levels by 2030, a goal that will require the innovation exemplified in this methodology.

“Innovation is one of Dentons’ driving principles, and when our client Foam Supplies asked us to help develop this forward-thinking methodology, it aligned perfectly with our desire to provide new solutions not only for our clients, but also for the industries in which we serve,” said Jeffrey Fort, partner at Dentons and method co-author. “Following its rigorous peer review and public comment process, we are honored to have our hard work recognized by the American Carbon Registry. This methodology not only supports California’s ambitious climate goals, but also provides a new approach to help supply chains remain lean and green.”

SAN DIEGO, May 5, 2016 – 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 Todd Stern, U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change from 2009 to 2016 in recognition of his leadership, insight and singular determination to secure international commitments to combat climate change. As the apex of seven years of persistence and diplomacy on a global climate deal, Todd played a pivotal role leading up to and in Paris of securing the agreement of nearly 200 nations to commit to holding global warming to below two degrees Celsius and to transparently submit their national contributions to this goal for review by the rest of the world. To build consensus from Copenhagen to Paris on a new climate deal was an achievement that required Todd to skillfully navigate domestic and international politics and to build confidence and ambitions of nations. The United States’ bilateral agreement with China in November 2014 was hailed as a catalytic event that built momentum for other countries to make similar pledges in Paris. The result of these accomplishments is meaningful, not only to send an uncontestable message that the countries of the world are united in transforming to a low carbon economy, but to create a framework to incentivize further actions that can be taken up by both the private and public sectors.

“I am honored to receive this award from the American Carbon Registry,” stated Stern. “Paris was a landmark agreement and the culmination of a huge team effort over many years. It reflects broad buy-in, strong ambition and transparency and puts a structure in place that now allows us to try to greatly accelerate the transformation from high to low carbon economies. Every tool we can use to advance that objective is essential and carbon markets have a very important role to play.  I salute ACR for being a leader in this field and for doing the hard work that make it possible for carbon markets to have environmental integrity.”

The ACR Innovation award was presented to EOS Climate for the company’s development of the groundbreaking ACR approved offset methodology for the use of certified reclaimed HFC refrigerants and advanced refrigeration systems. U.S. industry made commitments at a White House event late last year to leverage the methodology to realize HFC emissions reductions under the U.N. Global Refrigerant Management Initiative, which will reduce global HFC emissions by 30 to 50 percent in 10 years. Last week, ACR issued the first verified carbon credits to EOS Climate for the reclamation and re-use of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants.

“We are honored by this recognition from ACR. Controlling HFC emissions has become a priority for governments and businesses around the world,” stated Jeff Cohen, Senior Vice President of EOS Climate. “This new methodology directly incentivizes deployment of advanced climate-friendly commercial refrigeration technologies, as well as the recovery, reclamation, and re-use of HFC refrigerants, preventing powerful GHG emissions. ACR has been a great organization to work with on our ODS projects, and likewise, forward thinking and technically superb in establishing this methodology. By reducing the aggregate quantity of HFC production required during the transition to alternative refrigerants, we see this new methodology as an immediate, market-based complement to regulatory efforts to phase down HFCs.”

The ACR Commitment to Quality award went to Mid-South rice farms Whitaker Farms, Isbell Farms and Sullivan Farms, which have collectively formed the sustainable rice alliance Nature’s Stewards, in addition to Wolf Creek Farms and Murrell Farms. The farms were all honored for their work to improve rice production systems and to earn the first carbon offsets from low emission rice production. Since 2012, these farms have been dedicated to testing methods and measuring results for reducing GHG emissions and water usage under the ACR offset methodology for Emissions Reductions in Rice Management Systems. The methodology specifies requirements to measure reductions in methane, a GHG 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The first rice offset credits will be issued this summer, and the farms plan to verify emissions reductions this growing season for the California compliance offset market.

The Nature’s Stewards farms also plan to be the first rice producers in the world to be certified as sustainable under a new U.S. Sustainable Rice Certification Standard in development by Winrock and the American Carbon Registry to be launched this summer under a USDA Conservation Innovation Grant. The sustainability certification will require independent verification of a range of sustainability criteria and practices for food safety, GHG emissions, water use, fertilizer use, biodiversity, and labor practices.

“Conservation and environmental stewardship is a collaborative effort, and we are grateful for the researchers, organizations, and fellow farmers that we learn from,” said Mark Isbell on behalf of Nature’s Stewards LLC. “We are grateful to ACR and Winrock International for this honor and look forward to working together as we build on the work of the past and grow toward a greener future.”

The ACR Corporate Excellence award was presented to Microsoft for the company’s leadership in setting an internal price on carbon in order to achieve 100 percent carbon neutrality while driving company-wide efficiency and innovation. The fee works by making the cost to achieve carbon neutrality a line item in the operating budgets of Microsoft’s business units across more than 100 countries, establishing a powerful incentive for each group to find lower-carbon alternatives and to invest in carbon-saving initiatives and innovations.

This simple, replicable carbon fee model has demonstrated impressive results. Since 2012, the program has generated more than $48 million for investments in efficiency, green power and carbon offset community projects that have collectively reduced the company’s emissions by 9.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. To date, Microsoft has purchased more than 14 billion kilowatt hours of green power and helped reach more than 6 million people globally through carbon offset community projects that support low-carbon economic development and sustainable livelihoods.

“We are honored to receive this award recognizing Microsoft’s internal carbon fee, which has been a catalyst for driving sustainability, innovation and efficiency across our company,” said TJ DiCaprio, Senior Director of Environmental Sustainability, Microsoft. “The carbon fee program has helped Microsoft reduce our overall carbon emissions by more than 9.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. Through the funds raised, we are proud to support a portfolio of more than 30 carbon offset community projects around the world, including reforestation activities in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley.” 

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.