Emissions Trading: Government Releases Details Of EITE Assistance Program

On 19 June 2009, the Federal Government released important details of how the emissions-intensive trade-exposed (EITE) assistance program, established by Part 8 of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2009, will work in practice. The draft Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Regulations 2009 (released with a commentary paper) are open for public comment until 14 August 2009.

The Bill contains very little in the way of detail about the program, simply noting that regulations may formulate a program for the issue of free Australian emission units (AEUs) in respect of activities that, under the program, are taken to be emissions intensive trade exposed activities.

The draft regulations released last week contain the first eight activities that will be eligible for EITE assistance: carbon black production, bulk flat glass production, glass container production, methanol production, silicon production, white titanium dioxide pigment production, zinc smelting, and