3 New GHG Offset Projects to Reduce Over 684,000 Metric Tons of CO2
The Climate Trust has added three diverse new
greenhouse gas (GHG) offset projects to their
existing portfolio. Each project showcases a
different strategy to reduce global warming
emissions – energy-efficiency, combined heat and
power, and renewable energy – and furthers The
Climate Trust’s role as one of the leading institutional
purchasers of carbon offsets in the United States.
With the addition of these three new projects, The
Climate Trust continues to demonstrate that there
are many innovative, high-quality, and cost-effective
offset projects available in the U.S. Our new
partners are implementing some of the best carbon
offset projects available on the market,” said Mike
Burnett, The Climate Trust’s Executive Director.
The three projects are as follows:
Energy Efficiency Upgrade at Duluth, MN
Steam Plant. This project involves the
installation of
several new energy-efficiency measures at the city’s
municipal steam plant in Duluth, MN. The
improvements will significantly reduce the facility’s
coal consumption, which will prevent approximately
210,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions over
the project’s life. The project is being implemented
by Johnson Controls, Inc., a leading energy services
company. “We are pleased to have the opportunity
to be involved in a project such as this which has a
host of benefits for both the City of Duluth as well as
reduced global warming emissions,” said Jeffery
Schiltz, Account Executive for Johnson Controls’
Duluth office.
Combined Heat and Power Plant at Oregon
State
University. Using offset funding from The
Climate Trust, Oregon State University (OSU) will
install a new combined heat and power (CHP) facility
to provide steam and electricity for the main
campus. The CHP facility will displace the local
power grid, and eliminate approximately 339,000
metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the
project life. “This new CHP facility will allow OSU to
meet our campus heating needs in an environmentally
sound manner,” said Vincent Martorello, OSU’s
Director of Facilities Services.
Small-Scale Rural Wind Development in Iowa.
The Climate Trust is funding the installation of
two new 2.1-megawatt wind turbines in rural Iowa
with NativeEnergy, a privately held Native American
energy company headquartered in Charlotte, VT.
These small scale wind projects are not financially
viable without offset funding. The new electricity
generated from the wind turbines reduces the need
for fossil fuel-based electricity and will prevent the
emission of approximately 135,000 metric tons of
carbon dioxide over the project life. “NativeEnergy is
excited to continue its participation in the carbon
market and promote high-quality offsets with The
Climate Trust,” said Tom Boucher, NativeEnergy’s
President.
The offset funding for these projects was provided
by Portland General Electric (PGE) as part an Oregon
statutory requirement to offset emissions from its
new generating facility in Port Westward, Oregon.
PGE is the largest privately held electric utility in
Oregon. “Increasingly, Climate Trust is the go-to
organization for finding, evaluating and selecting solid
carbon offset projects. Their unique expertise
continues to bolster Oregon's reputation for
implementing sustainable practices,” said Wayne Lei,
PGE’s Director of Environmental Affairs.
With the addition of these three projects, The
Climate Trust’s offset portfolio now has more than
2.7 million metric tons of CO2 offsets under
management. For additional information about these
and The Climate Trust’s other offset projects, please
visit
www.climatetrust.org/offset_projects.php.
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