ANSI Accreditation
American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
Conestoga-Rovers & Associates (CRA) is accredited under ISO 14065 by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), a member of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). The ANSI accreditation allows CRA to complete verifications of GHG inventories in accordance with ISO 14064-Part 3 within GHG programs and registries that require independent certification (e.g. Massachusetts, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec). CRA's Greenhouse Gas Assurances Services Group will be in charge of projects conducted under ISO 14064-Part 3.
CRA's accreditation includes the following eight Organization Level sectors, and all of the subsectors included within each sector, subject to a Level 3 witness requirement as discussed in CRA's letter of accreditation:
- Group 1: General
- Group 2: Manufacturing
- Group 3: Power Generation
- Group 5: Mining and Mineral Production (subject to Level 3 witness assessment)
- Group 6: Metals Production (subject to Level 3 witness assessment)
- Group 7: Chemical Production (subject to Level 3 witness assessment)
- Group 8: Oil and Gas Extraction, Production, and Refining including Petrochemicals (subject to Level 3 witness assessment)
- Group 9: Waste (subject to Level 3 witness assessment)
CRA's is in the process of completing a scope extension application for the following Project Level Sector, subject to witness requirements as discussed in the ANSI Scoping Policy:
- Group 1: GHG emission reductions from fuel combustion (Group 1 or Group 2 witness assessment required)
CRA's accreditation applies to the V/V of GHG Assertions made under the following GHG programs or registries:
- Programs affiliated with members of the Western Climate Initiative, including, but not limited to:
- California3: Regulation for the Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Emissions promulgated pursuant to the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32; Stats. 2006, Chapter 488), as amended
- British Columbia: Reporting Regulation promulgated under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction (Cap and Trade) Act (BC Reg. 272/2009), as amended
- British Columbia: Emission Offsets Regulation promulgated under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act (BC Reg. 393/2008), as amended
- Ontario: Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Reporting Regulation (Ontario Regulation 452/09 promulgated under the Environmental Protection Act (O. Reg. 452/09), as amended
- Quebec: Regulation Respecting Mandatory Reporting of Certain Emissions of Contaminants into the Atmosphere promulgated under the Environmental Quality Act (R.Q. c. Q-2, r.15), as amended
- Massachusetts: GHG Reporting Regulation 310, Code of Massachusetts Regulation 7.71 (310 CMR 7.71), as amended
- Climate Action Reserve (CAR)
- The Climate Registry (TCR)
- Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX)
- The Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) (formerly the Voluntary Carbon Standard)
Note: 3 - California does not required ANSI accreditation
CRA will also conduct verification and validation under ANSI for any additional program or registry that requires an ISO 14065 accredited V/VB following completion of the applicable registration/accreditation requirements for the program or registry. CRA will also conduct verification and validation activities under ANSI for any additional sector subject to the completion of hte appropriate scope extension requirements, including any required witness audits.
CRA's Roles and Responsibilities
CRA will have two key roles/responsibilities to validate and verify GHG assertion in accordance to ISO 14064 - Part 3.
To meet the requirements of an accredited Validation and Verification Body under ISO 14065, CRA has established the Greenhouse Gas Assurance Services (GGAS) Group to manage all Greenhouse Gas Assurance services projects.
CRA will make publicly available any information about its validation and verification activities under ISO 14064 - Part 3 as required by ISO 14065.
Any comments or complaints received from clients, parties, project stakeholders, or any program stakeholders should be forwarded to CRA's GHG Manager or the applicable GHG Program Manager. See the GGAS Management Team List to find out who the GHG Program Manager is for your program. Download CRA's procedures for handling complaints and appeals or contact CRA's GHG Manager. Download CRA's form to register a complaint or appeal.
Where required by a GHG program or registry, GHG V/V reports will be made available on this webpage. The reports may include information on baseline methodologies, monitoring reports, additionality, and information related to the environment.
CRA's Commitment to Impartial and Transparent Operations
CRA is committed to conducting its validation and verification services in an impartial and transparent manner, free of conflicts of interest. To this end, CRA conducts internal reviews to prevent acceptance of any engagement that may create a threat to impartiality or a potential or actual conflict of interest. CRA encourages feedback from any party, client, stakeholder, or members of the public regarding any matter that may be construed as a threat to CRA's impartiality in provision of its services. View CRA's Code of Ethics.
Please contact the GHG Manageror the Principal-in-Charge of GHG Assurance Services (non-CDM) with any questions or comments.
