Voluntary Carbon Dioxide Offset Market Being Created

The Center is in the forefront of developing a voluntary carbon dioxide (CO2) trading market. Except that we have yet to convince a nuclear company to collateralize our Green Carbon Bank (click on the penguin). Whereas more traditional environmental organizations, other nonprofits and profit companies are basing their offsets on tradition renewable technologies, the Center is basing its offsets on emission free nuclear power. We also intend to market traditional offsets through our Carbon Mercantile Exchange (CMX).

A new Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) aims to certify the validity of voluntary offsets bought by those who want to reduce their planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, or 'carbon footprint.' The VCS seeks to increase transparency and quality assurance in the unregulated voluntary market. The VCS wants businesses and other buyers to trust the offsets they buy. The VCS standard is endorsed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which guarantees permanent emissions reductions that have been independently verified and incorporates a registry that prevents vendors from selling the same offsets twice. The VCS was developed after a two-year consultation including The Climate Group, the International Emissions Trading Assocation (IETA) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

The Climate Group is a London-based coalition of environmentalists and businessmen working to establish a standardized, international marketplace for trading carbon emissions credits. The program aims to assure purchasers that the carbon credits they buy are genuine and truly represent a carbon-emission reducing project. Each credit represents an offset to a ton of carbon emissions. It is voluntary program and businesses are not required to buy offsets. However, not only is it good public relations for a company to offset their carbon emissions, if enough entities participate, significant reduction can be achived. The program establishes a single database to track the credits to ensure their authenticity. (MarketWatch, Reuters)

PetroChina Is The World's Largest Company

PetroChina, the main oil and gas producer in China, became the world's largest company after trading on the Shanghai Stock Exchange on November 5, 2007. Now they are bigger than Exxon Mobil.

PetroChina produced 1 billion barrels of oil in 2006 and had revenue of $92 billion. Jiang Jiemin is the chairman of PetroChina.

Congress Overrides Bush Veto of Water Resources Bill

The U.S. Senate voted 79-14 on Nov 8 to override last week's veto by President George W. Bush of a $23 billion water bill, HR 1495, the Water Resources and Development Act of 2007. On Nov 6 the House voted 361-54 with 138 Republicans joining 223 Democrats to override the veto. The bill also authorizes funding for hurricane protection in Louisiana and restoration of the Everglades in Florida. President Bush vetoed the measure because he believed it was too costly and would overtax the Army Corps of Engineers. It was the first veto override of his presidency. A two-thirds majority is needed to override a veto.

Although environmentalists and many Republicans united to support the water bill, not everyone thinks the veto override was a good idea. Michael Grunwald, senior correspondent for Time Magazine tells Grist magazine that they missed an excellent opportunity to use the water bill as leverage to reform the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.

Congress Buys CO2 Offsets For Capitol Power Plant

The CEO of the U.S. House of Representatives purchased 30,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) for $89,000 from the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCE). They appear to have paid a little more because the CCE price per ton for credits is now $2.00 per ton, which would be $60,000. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has vowed to make the House green by the end of 2008. The CEO chose the CCE instead of another service that offers specific credits for specific technologies. Congress has yet to establish a mandatory carbon trading program for the country. (The Washington Post)

We have established a service to provide CO2 credits based on nuclear power. Our program is similar to the CCE in that it is voluntary. The Center is still trying to get a nuclear company to agree to provide carbon dioxide offset credits based on uprates, license renewals and construction of new nuclear power plants. The Center's credit sell for $10 per ton through our Green Carbon Bank. We hope to also offer nonnuclear credits through out Carbon Mercantile Exchange.

New Nuclear Plant Being Built In Liaoning Province

China is planning to build a new nuclear power plant, the Hongyanhe nuclear power station, located the Donggang Township, of Dalian's Wafangdian City, Liaoning Province. It will have six generating units, each with an installed capacity of one million kilowatts and is being built by the Liaoning Hongyanhe Nuclear Power Co Ltd.

The China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group Holdings Co Ltd and the China Power Investment Corporation will each hold a 45-percent stake, and the remaining 10 percent will be held by the Dalian Municipal Construction Investment Company.The project was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission in 2006. It is projected to cost 23 billion yuan (3.03 billion US dollars). China built its first nuclear power plant in east coastal Zhejiang Province in 1991. (ChinaDaily)

China Nuclear Power: Past, Present & Future

China started nuclear power operations in 1991, when Qinshan-I, a 300-megawatt (MW) pressurized-water reactor unit, independently developed by China, plugged into the grid. China plans to take its nuclear power capacity from about 9000 MW in 2007 to 40000 MW by 2020.

American Rivers-NOAA River Restoration Grants

Americn Rivers seeks proposals for river restoration project grants as part of its partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Community-based Restoration Program. Program funding is provided through NOAA's Open Rivers Initiative, which seeks to enable environmental and economic renewal in local communities through the removal of stream barriers.

This Partnership funds stream barrier removal projects that help restore riverine ecosystems, enhance public safety and community resilience, and have clear and identifiable benefits to diadromous fish populations. "Diadromous" fish migrate between freshwater and saltwater during their life cycle. Examples include alewife, American eel, American shad, blueback herring, salmon, steelhead, shortnose sturgeon and striped bass. Projects in the Northeast (ME, NH, VT, MA, CT, RI), Mid-Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA, DE, VA, MD, DC), Northwest (WA, OR, ID), and California are eligible to apply. Projects located within the St. Lawrence/Great Lakes Basin are not eligible for funding in the December 2007 grant round.

Eligible applications will be evaluated based upon four priority criteria: (1) ecological merits of the project, (2) technical feasibility of the project, (3) benefits provided to the local community, and (4) financial clarity and strength of the application.

Grants are provided for three distinct project phases: Feasibility Analysis, Engineering Design and Construction. Average grants are $25,000 - $50,000. Successful applicants for one project phase will not be eligible to receive additional funding for that same project phase in future grant rounds. See the Funding Guidelines for additional details.

Applications are currently being accepted for the first cycle of fiscal year 2008 with a deadline of December 3, 2007. Applications for projects must be postmarked by the deadline for consideration in this funding cycle. Potential applicants should contact American Rivers to discuss potential projects prior to submitting an application. Applicants can expect notification about funding decisions in early March 2008.

NOTE: Our eligibility requirements and application content have changed. Obtain the Application for Financial Assistance and Funding Guidelines or contact us them the addresses below.

Contact: Serena S. McClain, American Rivers, 1101 14th Street, NW Suite 1400
Washington, DC 20005 Email: http://www.blogger.com/