Adopted Protocols

How It Works

Adopted Protocols

The Climate Action Reserve develops standardized, performance-based project protocols that provide specific guidelines for calculating, reporting and verifying greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions from GHG offset projects. The protocols are created through a comprehensive, transparent public process with participation from multiple stakeholders. The Reserve has established a reputation for creating regulatory-quality protocols to ensure the offsets issued are real, permanent, additional, verifiable and enforceable.

Generally, steps in the protocol adoption process include:

  • Technical evaluation of project activity (sector analysis)
  • Key issue identification and assessment
  • Consensus-based multi-stakeholder expert workgroup
  • Stakeholder review and comment
  • Public review and comment
  • Review and public response to comments
  • Climate Action Reserve Board of Directors review and adoption
  • Ongoing opportunity for public feedback and comment

The Climate Action Reserve only registers GHG reduction projects that are developed and verified according to its protocols. Currently, project protocols are available for underground coal mine, forest, landfill, livestock, nitric acid production, organic waste digestion, and urban forest projects.

Coal Mine Methane

The Coal Mine Methane Project Protocol provides guidance to quantify, monitor, and verify GHG emission reductions associated with destroying methane that would have otherwise been vented to the atmosphere from active underground coal and Category III gassy trona mines in the United States and its territories. This version of the protocol includes guidance for ventilation air methane projects and non-pipeline drainage projects. This protocol was adopted by the Reserve Board in October 2009.

Forest

Forests have the capacity to both emit and sequester carbon dioxide, a lead GHG that contributes to climate change. The Forest Project Protocol is the Climate Action Reserve’s standard for the design, implementation and registration of forest projects. The protocol is written for forest project developers who wish to undertake a forest project. Only those forest projects that comply with this protocol may be reported to and verified by the Reserve.

Landfill

The Landfill Project Protocol provides guidance to quantify and report GHG emission reductions associated with installing a landfill gas collection and destruction system at landfill operations. The Landfill Project Protocol is applicable within the United States and Mexico. Project developers can use this protocol to register GHG reductions with the Climate Action Reserve.

United States

Mexico

Livestock

The Livestock Project Protocol provides guidance to account for and report emissions reductions associated with installing a manure biogas control system for livestock operations, such as dairy cattle and swine farms. The protocol focuses on quantifying the change in methane emission, but also accounts for effects on carbon dioxide emissions. Project developers that install manure biogas capture and destruction technologies use the livestock protocol to register GHG reductions with the Registry.

United States

Mexico

Nitric Acid Production

The Nitric Acid Production Project Protocol provides guidance to account for, report, and verify GHG emission reductions associated with the installation and use of a nitrous oxide (N2O) emission control technology, i.e. secondary and tertiary catalysts, to reduce N2O emissions generated as a byproduct of nitric acid production. The protocol is applicable at nitric acid production facilities in the United States and its territories. This protocol was adopted by the Reserve Board in December 2009.

Organic Waste Composting

The Organic Waste Composting Project Protocol provides a standardized approach for quantifying and monitoring the GHG reductions from projects that avoid methane emissions to the atmosphere through the diversion and composting of municipal food waste and food soiled paper that would otherwise have been sent to a landfill. This project protocol builds largely on the Reserve’s protocol for Organic Waste Digestion projects. This protocol was adopted by the Reserve Board in June 2010.

Organic Waste Digestion

The Organic Waste Digestion Project Protocol provides an accurate GHG accounting methodology for GHG reduction projects that divert and anaerobically digest eligible organic waste and/or wastewater streams that otherwise would have gone to uncontrolled anaerobic storage, treatment and disposal systems such as solid waste landfills or on-site anaerobic wastewater treatment facilities. The protocol also addresses the co-digestion of eligible organic waste streams with livestock manure. This protocol was adopted by the Reserve Board in October 2009.

Ozone Depleting Substances

The United States Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) Project Protocol and the Article 5 Ozone Depleting Substances Project Protocol provide a standardized approach for quantifying and monitoring the GHG reductions from projects that destroy ODS, sourced from within the U.S. or Article 5 countries, with high global warming potentials that would have otherwise been vented to the atmosphere. This protocol was adopted by the Reserve Board in February 2010.

Urban Forest

The Urban Forest Project Protocol provides guidance to account for real, additional, and credible GHG reductions from urban tree planting projects for registration in the Reserve. The protocol provides eligibility rules, methods to calculate reductions, performance monitoring instructions, procedures for reporting project information, and verification guidance.