Assembly Bill (AB) 398 (Garcia, Chapter 135, Statutes of 2017) required the California Air Resources Board (CARB or Board) to establish the Compliance Offsets Protocol Task Force (Task Force) to provide guidance to CARB in establishing new offset protocols for the Cap-and-Trade Program with direct environmental benefits in the state while prioritizing disadvantaged communities, Native American or tribal lands, and rural and agricultural regions. In addition, AB 293 (Garcia, Chapter 85, Statutes of 2019) requires the Task Force to consider the development of additional offset protocols, including, but not limited to, protocols for the enhanced management or conservation of agricultural and natural lands, and for the enhancement and restoration of wetlands. Furthermore, the legislation directed the Task Force to develop recommendations to CARB on methodologies to allow groups of landowners to jointly develop natural and working lands offset projects under approved Compliance Offset Protocols.
In drafting this Draft Final Recommendations Report, the Task Force considered public comments received on the Compliance Offsets Protocol Task Force’s Initial Draft Recommendations at the November 13, 2020 Task Force meeting, and written comments submitted by November 6, 2020.
