Members are required to have their emission reports verified by a California Registry approved third party verification body every year. Beginning December 31, 2009, all verification bodies will need to be ISO 14065 accredited through ANSI, enrolled in the program or ARB accredited to be eligible to perform the verification of California Registry inventories. (See list of approved verifiers)
Verification ensures that reported emissions meet the California Registry’s reporting requirements and achieve a minimum quality standard (95 percent accuracy). Third-party verification is integral to the California Registry’s program in maintaining accuracy within the reported data for early action compliance under future state, federal, and international GHG regulations.
Core verification activities include:
- Identifying an organization’s emission sources (to check for the omission of sources)
- Reviewing its management systems & methodologies
- Verifying its emission estimates
Verification can be a four-year cycle. In year 1, verifiers conduct all core verification activities. In years 2 and 3, unless there has been a significant change in an organization’s operations or emissions profile, verifiers will conduct more of a desktop review. All verification activities are required again in Year 4.
The cost of verification varies widely from organization to organization. Elements driving verification costs are the size and complexity of your organization and the quality and organization of your data and data management systems. Verification costs have ranged from $500 for a small, office-based company in California to $20,000 for a large manufacturer with facilities nationwide. Registry members have seen the cost of verification drop from 30-65% from year 1 to years 2 and 3 (as verification can be a 4 year cycle). To get an estimate for your organization’s verification costs, contact approved verifiers directly.
A sample verification cost fact sheet has been developed based on representative verification data of emissions sources, quantities and sector types of certain California Registry Climate Action Leaders to help reporters get a better idea of the costs involved for annual verification.
The California Registry’s General Reporting Protocol and General Verification Protocol provide more information on the verification process.