Dec 19 2007
Participating today in the United Nations Climate Change Conference, Pacific Gas and Electric Company announced it has joined The Climate Registry (TCR), an organization dedicated to creating a common standard for measuring, reporting and verifying greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions consistently across industry sectors in North America. PG&E is a founding member of the California Climate Action Registry and has voluntarily catalogued its carbon footprint since 2004.
"Creating a common greenhouse gas reporting infrastructure is a key step in the fight against climate change," said Diane Wittenberg, executive director of The Climate Registry. "As a charter member of the California Climate Action Registry, PG&E has proven itself to be a leading corporate environmental citizen. We're now thrilled to have their leadership as part of The Climate Registry."
"By developing a common set of standards and a location to report greenhouse gas emissions, The Climate Registry is providing a necessary framework for organizations committed to reducing their impact on climate change," said Nancy McFadden, senior vice president of public affairs at PG&E. "As a founding member of the California Climate Action Registry, joining The Climate Registry was a natural extension for PG&E. We look forward to participating in this new capacity. "
At the United Nations Climate Change Conference McFadden will participate in a variety of panel discussions highlighting the steps PG&E is taking at federal and state levels to advance long-term climate goals, including energy efficiency investments and support of carbon cap and trade programs.
PG&E is an ongoing participant in the California Climate Action Registry and, in 2006, became the first investor-owned utility in California to certify its entity-wide greenhouse gas emissions for all six greenhouse gases. PG&E also worked cooperatively with the California Climate Action Registry to develop a protocol for measuring and reporting emission reductions associated with various types of forestry projects and the capture and use of methane from dairy cattle manure.
The announcement today during the United Nations Climate Change Conference is part of PG&E's broader commitment to reduce its environmental footprint. PG&E proudly provides its customers with among the cleanest energy in the nation. On average, more than 50 percent of the energy delivered to its electric customers is carbon free and the company is well on its way to reaching 20 percent renewables under contract or delivered by 2010. Through its leading energy efficiency and demand response programs, the company has helped prevent more than 125 million tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, while saving its customers nearly $20 billion.
The Climate Registry, incorporated March 2007 in Washington, D.C., was founded by discussions among states that had established or were interested in establishing state or regional GHG registries. The Climate Registry encourages voluntary early actions to increase energy efficiency and decrease GHG emissions. The Climate Registry accounting infrastructure supports a wide variety of programs that reduce GHG emissions including voluntary, regulatory and market-based programs. To date, The Climate Registry is the largest climate initiative in North America. States representing over 80 percent of U.S. population are involved, along with Canadian provinces, Mexican states and Indian tribes. The Climate Registry is seeking organizations to be charter reporters and be recognized at the launch in January 2008.