Ecology has approved four Compliance Offset Protocols from California’s program with Ecology-specific requirements. The Ecology adopted Compliance Offset Protocols and related documents for each are available for download from. The four protocols adopted from the California program are:

• U.S. Forestry
• Urban Forestry
• Livestock Projects
• Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS)

An Offset Project Operator or Authorized Project Designee must obtain the services of an Ecology-approved verification body to perform offset verification services.

• Approved Offset Verifiers and Verification Bodies

Ecology’s main webpage for the cap-and-invest offset program contains program-related.

How are offsets used in Washington’s program versus in California?

Generally speaking, the Washington offset program mirrors the California Air Resources Board’s program, especially for how they register, verify, and monitor offset projects. However, there are some important differences as outlined on Ecology’s cap-and-invest offsets webpage, including:

• Washington’s program requires that all offset projects provide direct environmental benefits to the state, while California only requires that 50% of the offset credits used to cover business emissions come from projects that provide direct environmental benefits.
• Offset credits in Washington are “under the cap,” meaning we reduce the number of allowances we issue by the number of offset credits used, keeping us on track to meet our statutory commitment to reduce emissions by 95% by 2050.
• Washington has the ability to reduce the number of offset credits that can be used by a business if we determine that it contributes substantially to air pollution in an overburdened community.

Direct Environmental Benefits and No Significant Adverse Environmental Impact

All offsets used for compliance in Washington’s cap-and-invest program must demonstrate direct environmental benefits to the state. For more information, please see WAC 173-446-595.

An offset project must not produce significant adverse environmental impacts after mitigation. For more information, please see WAC 173-446-500.

The Offset Project Operator or Authorized Project Designee, if applicable, must submit an Application for Direct Environmental Benefits Status and Demonstration of No Significant Adverse Environmental Impacts and the required supporting documentation to Ecology at CCAOffsets@ecy.wa.gov.

Tribal Offset Projects

Offset projects on tribal lands are developed in the same way as non-tribal projects: they must be listed with an approved offset-project registry, follow one of the four adopted offset protocols, and be verified by an approved third party.

Washington offers a Tribal Carbon Offset Assistance Grant program to help federally recognized tribes in Washington assess the feasibility of a carbon-offset project.