For U.S. industries with operations that emit greenhouse gases (GHGs), climate policy is no longer a distant possibility — it is being planned and, in some cases, implemented today. While debate on a federal GHG trade program continues in Congress, CO2 emission reduction requirements have been put in effect in Northeastern States (i.e., the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative — RGGI), are being developed in California (to implement the state's "Global Warming Solutions Act" — AB32), and are being designed in the western states as part of the Western Climate Initiative — WCI).
This issue paper considers the specific GHG emission reduction requirements that sectors covered under a U.S. cap-and-trade bill — including the electricity sector — may face, and the role that offsets could play in helping to meet these requirements cost-effectively.
Authors Adam Diamant