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Colorado Methane Recovery
About Colorado Recovered Methane Rule
The Colorado Air Quality Control Commission (CAQCC) adopted the Recovered Methane Rule, naming specific ACR methodologies as recovered methane protocols for projects generating recovered methane credits.
Recovered methane credits are tradable compliance instruments within the Colorado Air Pollution Control Division’s Crediting and Tracking System where gas distribution, small gas distribution, or municipal gas distribution utilities participants can acquire and retire recovered methane credits to meet a portion of their GHG reductions required under a Clean Heat Plan.
Approved Recovered Methane Protocols administered by ACR
The approval of ACR methodologies and ACR-issued credits for compliance purposes demonstrates the rigor and robustness of our carbon crediting program.
The following ACR methodologies were adopted in the Recovered Methane Rule:
- Landfill Gas Destruction and Beneficial Use Projects V2.0 (April 2021; Errata & Clarification October 25, 2022)
- Capturing and Destroying Methane from Coal and Trona Mines in North America V1.1 (August 2022)
The following California Air Resources Board (CARB) Compliance Offset Protocol, under which ACR issues Registry Offset Credits in its capacity as a CARB-approved Offset Project Registry, was also adopted:
- Livestock Projects (November 14, 2014)
ACR-issued credits generated under these approved recovered methane protocols that meet the other recovered methane requirements are eligible to apply for issuance of recovered methane credits.
Recovered Methane Requirements
ACR-issued credits generated under the approved protocols can apply for issuance of recovered methane credits as specified in CAQCC Regulation 22, Part C.
To be eligible under the Recovered Methane Rule, the ACR-issued credits must be issued under an approved recovered methane protocol and meet the following requirements:
- Project is located in Colorado:
- Recovered methane is produced on or after the effective date of the rule; and
- Recovered methane is delivered within Colorado through a dedicated pipeline or common carrier pipeline that physically flows within Colorado or toward an end user in Colorado for which the recovered methane was produced.
For issuance of credits, the Colorado Air Pollution Control Division requires that the information listed in Regulation 22, Part C, I.D.1 be submitted no more than twelve months from the date the methane was recovered from a project.
To prevent double use, ACR-issued credits for GHG emission reductions that are to be used for the recovered methane rule must be cancelled from the ACR Registry for transfer to and use in the Colorado Air Pollution Control Division’s Crediting and Tracking System.
Resources
More information about the Colorado Recovered Methane Rule is available from the links below.