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ARTICLE · 07 FEBRUARY 2011

Changes To Alberta's Offset Credit Regime

Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
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Effective January 1, 2012, offset credits under the Alberta Specified Gas Emitters Regulation will only be available on a "go-forward crediting" basis, meaning that historic emission reductions will not be accredited on the Alberta Registry.

CanadaEnvironment
Martin Ignasiak
Martin Ignasiak
Sander Duncanson
Sander Duncanson
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Effective January 1, 2012, offset credits under the Alberta Specified Gas Emitters Regulation will only be available on a "go-forward crediting" basis, meaning that historic emission reductions will not be accredited on the Alberta Registry. In addition, verification of emission reductions for offset credits will be held to a more stringent "reasonable" and not "limited" assurance standard. These changes suggest that anyone in Alberta that wishes to receive offset credits for historic emission reductions must seek accreditation promptly or else risk losing the ability to do so in the future. Furthermore, offset credit proponents and holders should be mindful of who has been engaged for third-party verification purposes to ensure that their offset credits are verified in accordance with the new verification standards.

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