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(Washington, DC) - With concerns growing over the efficacy of an unregulated carbon offset market, Massachusetts Democrats Representative Edward J. Markey and Senator John F. Kerry sent a letter today to the Bush administration asking key questions about a new forest-based carbon offset plan. The program, recently announced by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the National Forest Foundation (NFF), would allow citizens to offset their carbon emissions that contribute to global warming by purchasing credits to fund reforestation plans on National Forest lands.
In the letter sent to Forest Service Chief Gail Kimbell, the two Massachusetts legislators pose key questions on the principle goals and possible unintended consequences of the program. Given the concern over the current state of the voluntary carbon offset market, the letter asks how the program will result in measurable reductions in carbon emissions. The letter also raises concerns over sound forest policy, and whether this program could result in improper handling of forest management after forest fires and other destructive events.
“It’s good to see the Bush administration make the link between preserving and growing our nation’s forests and reducing the threat of global warming,” said Rep. Markey, who is the Chairman of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. “But we must ensure that under this program, if a tree falls in the woods, that it doesn’t bring down a carbon offset program with it.”
One of the main concerns with the new program is that it will focus on so-called salvage timber sales, when forests have been harmed by fires, storms, or other events and timber companies are allowed to come in and extract trees from the site for sale. The two pilot projects for the USFS/NFF program are located in these areas, and it raises important questions on the potential for increased corporate influence on future contracts, whether in salvage areas or other protected lands, through purchases of these offsets.
“We need to ensure that any government program that offers individuals the opportunity to purchase carbon offsets is doing so in a way that is permanent and effective, as well as environmentally sound,” Senator Kerry said. “Citizens who purchase carbon offsets to do their share to fight global warming should know they aren’t wasting their money and are actually working to solve this problem. I want to thank Rep. Markey for his leadership on this issue and for joining me in ensuring that the Administration is working in an effective manner on this issue.”
Rep. Markey held a hearing this July on carbon offsets, where the Select Committee heard many concerns on the efficacy of forest-based carbon offsets, along with other concerns. Accordingly, he has sent letters to the Federal Trade Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency asking the agencies to look into developing better guidelines for this unregulated market to protect consumers and the climate.
In normal practice, carbon offsets are credits that consumers, businesses and government agencies can buy to compensate for the global warming emissions caused by driving, using electricity, or other activities. When properly structured, the money is then used to fund clean energy development projects, tree plantings, or other activities that “offset” a certain amount of heat-trapping pollution.
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