EPRI Plans Series of Meetings/Webcasts for Climate Area Funders; Sept. 13 Meeting Will Focus on GHG Offset Program Design
On July 24, EPRI presented the first of an anticipated series of meetings and webcasts intended to help funders of Programs 102 and 103 understand the possible implications of climate policy choices and explore ways to communicate key insights. The first meeting focused on the implications of emission taxes/fees versus cap-and-trade systems with various levels of free allocations. Experience with the Phase I EU Emission Trading Scheme (EU-ETS) has led many to reconsider the free allocation of permits, and U.S. federal legislative discussion will undoubtedly have to grapple with the issue. The purpose of the meeting was to facilitate a well-rounded, thorough discussion to help attendees understand how various policy options could affect their companies, and to provide a forum for attendees to exchange information with one another. Attendees also helped select the topic for the next meeting, which is scheduled for Sept. 13 in Washington, DC, at the St Gregory Hotel and will focus on GHG offset program design. The agenda will include:

• introduction and discussion of the policy context for the workshop,
• description of GHG offsets and discussion of market status and trends,
• discussion of the role of offsets in global climate policy and stabilization,
• discussion of key elements and issues in developing offset programs and policies, and
• discussion of the “supplementarity” debate (achieving GHG emission reductions first at home, augmented by relatively small amounts of offsets from abroad).

Attendees will also provide input concerning topics for future meetings. For more information, contact Vic Niemeyer, (650) 855-2744, niemeyer@epri.com; Adam Diamant, (510) 260-9105, adiamant@epri.com; or Tom Wilson, (650) 855-7928, twilson@epri.com.