Comments invited on CFI regulations

Draft regulations to support the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) were released for consultation yesterday by the government.

The CFI, which began in December 2011, is a voluntary offset scheme which reduces carbon pollution and provides economic opportunities for farmers, forest growers and landholders. It allows these land managers to earn carbon credits by storing carbon or reducing greenhouse gas emissions on the land, and then sell these credits to people and businesses wishing to offset their emissions. The initiative encourages sustainable farming and provides a source of funding for landscape restoration projects.

Initial regulations to support the CFI came into force on 8 December 2011. The new regulations provide further detail on elements such as auditing, reporting and the issuance of credits.

Audits under the CFI will be supported by the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) framework. A consultation paper detailing proposed changes to the NGER framework to support its new role has also been released.

Comments on the draft regulations and NGER consultation paper will be taken into consideration when finalising the regulations and any changes to the NGER framework. Public submissions are due by 26 April 2012.

To view the consultation papers and submissions templates, click here.

To participate in the CFI, click here.