Browsing: <a href="/tag/offsets">Offsets</a> <i class="grey">•</i> <a href="/tag/green-carbon">Green carbon</a>

Despite Coalition opposition, the Senate has passed with amendments the Government's carbon farming legislation and a bill to underpin the nation's carbon registry.

As the Senate debates 'carbon farming' legislation, the Gillard Government has released draft supporting regulations that specify activities that can create offsets under the scheme.

• Victoria confirms energy efficiency scheme change
  
• Comment sought on new "carbon farming" activities
  
• Victorian agencies back new emissions calculator

Climate Minister Greg Combet today introduced legislation to establish the Government's 'carbon farming' offsets regime – taking up Garnaut's suggestion to relax restrictions on creating offsets – and also introduced a bill formalising the registry that will track carbon trades.

• Rio bauxite mine boosts capacity to handle extreme rain
  
• 'No-effort' offsets should prompt 5% cut rethink: ANU study
  
• Queensland launches LNG enforcement unit

Companies seeking to purchase credits to offset their carbon emissions could soon have more certainty, after Climate Change Minister Greg Combet took the first step towards resuscitating a domestic offsets market, in the wake of the demise of the Greenhouse Friendly scheme and in the lead-up to its proposed Carbon Farming Initiative.

The Victorian Government will introduce a bill mandating that the State cut greenhouse gas emissions to 20% below 2000 levels by 2020, give its EPA new powers to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and create a green carbon offsets scheme, says its long-awaited climate change white paper.

Most carbon offset projects in Australia will be unable to reap any benefit from a national offsets standard that takes effect tomorrow, according to those involved in the offsets sector, but the Government says Senate blocking of the CPRS is to blame and it is "working towards" a domestic offsets program.