Climate Change - White Paper - Issues and Options for ...

White Paper

Issues and Options for Benchmarking
Industrial GHG Emissions



Submitted to: the Washington State Department of Ecology

June 30, 2010





With support from:
Öko-Institut
Ross & Associates Environmental Consulting, Ltd.


Acknowledgements
Washington Department of Ecology
Janice Adair
Justin Brant
Eli M. Levitt
SEI-US
Peter Erickson
Michael Lazarus
Öko-Institut
Hauke Hermann
Ross & Associates Environmental Consulting, Ltd.
Tim Larson
Bill Ross
Amy Wheeless



A Note from the Department of Ecology
Last year, Governor Christine Gregoire issued an Executive Order on Washington’s Leadership on Climate
Change that directed this agency to work with businesses and other interested stakeholders to develop
greenhouse gas (GHG) benchmarks. It called for us to support the use of benchmarks in any federal or
regional GHG cap and trade program as a basis for distributing emissions allowances and as a means to
recognize and reward those businesses that have made investments that have reduced GHG emissions.
The Order also directed us to develop benchmarks that could be suitable for use as state emission
standards.
As we talked to stakeholders prior to starting the project, we quickly realized that we were not alone in
having only a basic understanding of GHG benchmarks and benchmarking. Therefore, we designed a two-
phase process. Phase I focused on educating all of us on the issues and ...