8.25.2008 - 05:55pm ET

(CSRwire) NEW YORK,NY. - August 25, 2008 - The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the California Climate Action Registry (California Registry) as part of a continuing effort to enhance the Institute's accreditation program for greenhouse gas (GHG) validation and verification bodies (V/VBs).

ANSI is the coordinator of the U.S. standards and conformity assessment system and the administrator of a pilot accreditation program for third-party bodies working to validate and verify GHG emission assertions for a broad spectrum of industries.

In signing the MoU, ANSI and the California Registry signal their cooperation in implementing a pilot accreditation program for GHG V/VBs that is in accordance with all relevant international standards and California Registry protocols.

Since its creation, the California Registry has worked to provide cutting edge solutions for and thought leadership in solving climate change issues. Its original mission was to protect and promote companies’ early actions to reduce their GHG emissions, and its emissions registry became widely recognized and highly respected. The California Registry continued its mission through the creation of the Climate Action Reserve program, which develops protocols for emissions reduction projects and tracks projects and their offsets. Through its work in emissions reporting and offset projects, the California Registry has earned a reputation for high quality, transparent and accurate work.

Assessment tools for the new program will include ISO 14065, Greenhouse gases – Requirements for greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies for use in accreditation or other forms of recognition, as well as the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) document for the application of ISO 14065.

ANSI and the California Registry agree to monitor and oversee the V/VBs for continuous compliance with ANSI accreditation requirements and California Registry protocols. Through this program, organizations accredited by ANSI will demonstrate a level of competence in delivering effective validation and verification services.

"The California Registry brings a great depth of experience with GHG emissions tracking and reporting," said Reinaldo Figueiredo, director of the Institute's greenhouse gas accreditation program. "ANSI is pleased to count the California Climate Action Registry among our partners in this initiative."

"We are proud to partner with ANSI in support of the reduction of GHG emissions," said Gary Gero, President of the California Climate Action Registry. "This program marks a significant step forward in ensuring the credibility and consistency in emissions reporting and reduction projects across industry sectors and geographical borders."

About ANSI
ANSI is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. The Institute represents the diverse interests of more than 125,000 companies and organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide.

About the California Climate Action Registry
The California Climate Action Registry is a private nonprofit organization committed to solving climate change through emissions reporting and reduction. It serves as a voluntary greenhouse gas (GHG) registry for entity-wide emission inventories and also establishes protocols for GHG emission reduction (offset) projects through its Climate Action Reserve program. The protocols are created through a rigorous, transparent process and are widely regarded as among the highest quality standards for offset projects. The Climate Action Reserve also accredits and oversees independent verifiers and tracks the transactions of project offset inventories, adding confidence and credibility to the voluntary carbon market. The accuracy, transparency and integrity of all of the California Registry’s standards have earned it the reputation as a respected and internationally recognized leader in climate change issues.

The California Climate Action Registry was originally formed by the State of California in 2001 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

For more information please contact: