AEP Climate Change Committee on Using Carbon Offsets as GHG Mitigation in CEQA  and NEPA

This panel discussion will provide the criteria needed to develop legally defensible carbon offsets using established protocols and the judgments in a series of appellate and Supreme Court cases to highlight what is needed to use carbon offsets as legally sound CEQA and NEPA Mitigation.  The panel will discuss two carbon offset projects, one unsuccessful, and one successful to provide real-world examples of lessons learned and how carbon offsets can successfully weather court challenges. The panel will consist of an attorney, a carbon offset verifier, and the AEP Climate Change Committee.

Michael Hendrix, AEP
Chair: AEP Climate Change Committee
Association of Environmental Professionals

Michael Hendrix is the current AEP Climate Change Committee Chair and one of the State’s leading air quality scientists.  He is the recipient of AEP’s "Professional Achievement Award” for innovative Air Quality and GHG Mitigation Programs for projects that provide comprehensive emission reduction measures throughout the life of a project.  AEP specifically recognized that “his commitment to balancing the need for industrial, commercial and residential development projects in the State with the reduction of GHG emissions and air pollution is evident through his dedication to mitigation that significantly reducing emissions associated with the expansion of these markets”.

Rich Walter, AEP
Vice President
ICF

Rich leads ICF’s climate action planning practice which supports local and regional agencies on GHG emissions and climate adaptation. Rich has led ICF in the development of climate action plans across California, GHG inventories for hundreds of communities across the U.S., general plan policies addressing climate change, cost-benefit analyses of emission reduction strategies, studies of adaptation to sea-level rise, as well as numerous CEQA and NEPA documents addressing GHG emissions and adaptation.

Alexandria Arends
Commercial Sales Manager
Element Markets/Bluesource

As Commercial Sales Manager, Alex supports clients with their sustainability journey through assisting them with their carbon offset purchases. She works with both our retail and broker clients, existing clients, and identifies those who have newly made commitments. Alex helps buyers with project selection, contracting, and marketing materials requirements.  Prior to joining Bluesource, Alex worked for a voluntary carbon offset retailer where she was responsible for sourcing both carbon offsets and environmental attribute certificates (EACs). Her work involved finding new projects, performing due diligence on these projects to make sure they were of the highest quality and coordinating the delivery of those instruments. She holds a B.S. in Sustainable Business from Aquinas College located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and has her LEED Green Associates certification.