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Climate Change
Policy Update
May 24, 2017
Thomas Gross
Bureau of Air and Radiation
Kansas Department of Health and Environment
Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
What’s New in Climate Change?
Sept 14 – Alaska creates Climate Change Sub-Cabinet
 Sept 12 – Virginia announces state-wide energy plan
 Sept 12 - Vermont’s GHG vehicle emission standards
upheld in court
 Aug 28 - Illinois law enacts renewable energy and
efficiency standards
 August 22 – Western Climate Initiative announces
emissions target of 15% by 2020
 Aug 20 – North Carolina becomes 25th state to enact
renewable portfolio standard (12.5% by 2021)
 August 6 – Oregon sets GHG reduction standards 10%
by 2020
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Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
GHG Policy Options
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Participate in GHG registry
Develop climate action plan
Enact renewable portfolio standards
Adopt GHG tailpipe standards for passenger
vehicles
Enact GHG emission reduction standards
Enact energy efficiency resource standards
Participate in GHG emissions trading program
Many others
Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
States With GHG Registries and Reporting
Pew Center for Global Climate Change
States With Climate Action Plans
Pew Center for Global Climate Change
States with Renewable Portfolio Standards
States Pursuing Vehicle Standards
States With GHG Emission Targets
The Climate Registry (TCR)
Multi state, province, tribal registry
organization
 Incorporated as a 501(c)3 in Washington D.C.
 Started in March 2007
 So far
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39 States
District of Columbia
3 Tribes
2 Canadian provinces
Mexican state of Sonora
Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
Mission and Purpose
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Develop a common system to measure, track, verify,
and report GHG emissions
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Support diverse state climate reporting and/or
reduction policies
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Accurate
Transparent
Consistent across borders and industry sectors
Voluntary
Market-based
Regulatory
Promote linkages between emerging carbon markets
Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
Membership
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Eligible for membership
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States & Tribes
Districts, Territories, and U.S. Possessions
Canadian Provinces and Mexican States
“Member” is different than “reporter”
 Members agree to principles and goals
and appoint representative to Board of
Directors
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Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
TCR Benefits
Standardize best practices in emission
reporting—not just within U.S.
 Infrastructure could facilitate future
federal, state or local actions
 Vehicle for politically diverse states to
act together
 Lower costs for states and for reporters
of emissions
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Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
Implementation Tasks
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Develop emissions quantification framework
Create a general reporting protocol
Develop verification protocol
Create a data collection system
Create administrative processes to implement
above
Draw on existing programs such as CA Registry,
GHG Protocol tool, EU, etc.
Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
Issues Tentatively Resolved
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6 Kyoto gases will be reported annually
Reporting will be on facility level
Direct and indirect emissions reported
3rd party verification required
Entities report for all North American facilities
Reporting measures for specific sectors, such as
EGUs
De minimis reporting levels: 3%
Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
Unresolved Issues
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Levels of membership
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Public disclosure
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Stakeholders concerned about proprietary info
Corporate entity definitions
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Reporters- meet requirements in 1 yr
Transitional Reporters- meet requirements in 2 yrs
Disclosure of interest in other companies,
parent/subsidiary relationships
Software tools
Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
What’s next for TCR?
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Draft reporting protocol
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Verification system and protocol
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Completed and being reviewed
Final due in January
Draft expected next month
Final due in January
Software reporting system
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Strategy developed by October
Fully operable by March 2008
Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
Why did Kansas join TCR?
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A seat at the table
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Participate in reporting protocol development
Make contacts with climate change staff and
decision makers in other states
Learn from their decisions and actions
Show Kansas’ commitment to the issue
Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
Western Climate Initiative
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Collaboration between Arizona, California,
New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington,
and British Columbia
Launched in February 2007
Kansas and other states are observers
GHG goal is aggregate reduction of 15%
below 2005 levels by 2020
Developing market-based mechanism to help
achieve goal by August 2008
Will use TCR data
Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
What’s Next for KDHE?
Draft statewide GHG emissions
inventory
 Continue participation in TCR
development
 Monitor progress of Western Climate
Initiative and other programs
 Improve coordination with Kansas
energy agencies/organizations
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Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
www.kdheks.gov
Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.