The ABA Annual Spring Conference on Environmental Law, April 3-5 in Chicago, IL., is where you join leading environmental, energy, and resources law professionals for knowledge-sharing, networking, and inspiration in the Windy City. The conference provides timely, topical updates on the latest opportunities and challenges facing the field of environmental law, with a deep dive into the fields of environmental compliance, energy, and resources law. Join – SEER – the Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources, to learn about the latest developments shaping the practice today and the long-term trends that will drive the future.
What to Expect
Lively discussions with leading practitioners, including state and federal regulators, leading scholars, and in-house counsel. Each day will kick off with a plenary session diving into key topics: one on forthcoming Supreme Court decisions that could reshape environmental law, and one on the evolution of EPA’s enforcement tools. A special track of panels will focus on the challenges of regulating across multiple jurisdictions. Panels in this series will help attendees understand how state priorities shape Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act implementation, parse through competing frameworks steering the energy transition, and make sense of global ESG trends influencing U.S. policy. The conference will also feature a litigation workshop focused on cutting-edge strategies for using unique types of evidence, like Indigenous Knowledge, in the courtroom.
Panels will examine liability mechanisms for historical PFAS, explore how regulatory pathways for emerging contaminants will impact clients, and consider practical approaches to environmental justice through the lens of a real case study in Chicago. Top speakers will weigh in on balancing the energy transition against national security and the ethical implications of artificial intelligence for lawyers. In addition to insights and practice tips from top practitioners, two panels will begin with case summary presentations by law students and young attorneys that attendees can use in their own practices.
Whether you are an experienced practitioner or in the beginning stages of your practice, join us in Chicago to create new connections, exchange perspectives, and get inspired by your fellow environmental, energy, and resources law professionals.
This protocol applies to greenhouse gas reduction projects that divert eligible organic waste or agro-industrial wastewater streams that otherwise would have gone to uncontrolled anaerobic storage, treatment, and disposal systems (solid waste landfills, onsite anaerobic wastewater treatment facilities, etc.).
Projects that involve co-digestion of eligible organic waste streams with livestock manure are also eligible if they comply with the Livestock Project Protocol, diverting waste to a biogas control system (BCS). The protocol accepts several technologies, including:
Project Eligibility
The protocol stipulates the following requirements:
Project Exclusions
Protocol excludes the following activities:
Project Outcomes
A project is eligible to receive credits for ten years from the start date or until project activity is required by law. Applications for a second 10-year eligibility period are available. Only two AD facilities have registered with the Climate Action Reserve (CAR). CAR has awarded these projects a total of 224,655 CRTs, valued at approximately $700,000. In 2022, CAR awarded 22,257 CRTs to these projects. At a market price of $3.00/CRT, 22,257 CRTs have a value of $66,771.
Credit Feasibility
Understanding the technology and navigating protocol requirements can take time and effort. That’s where we come in. Contact SCS Engineers at or Greg McCarron on LinkedIn to learn how your project may qualify.
Additional Resources
Carbon credits can be a reliable and lucrative source of revenue for organic waste management facilities in addition to more traditional revenue sources. Voluntary carbon credits provide compost and anaerobic digestion facilities with an additional source of income, complementing tipping fees and sales of final products. Carbon credits are issued, bought, and sold in carbon markets in a broader effort to lower greenhouse gas emissions. The Climate Action Reserve (CAR) establishes carbon credit standards, guidelines, and values (Climate Reserve Tonnes or CRTs).
Participation in voluntary carbon markets, mines, landfills, compost facilities, and anaerobic digestion facilities can generate additional revenue while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Is your project eligible for carbon credits?
There are two main types of carbon markets: regulatory and voluntary. Regulatory carbon markets require mandatory participation. Voluntary carbon markets provide carbon offset credits for qualifying products that effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions from a baseline level. Each voluntary market defines its baseline and qualifications for offset projects. Offset credits can then be sold. Within voluntary carbon markets, eligible organic waste management and landfill projects can participate in generating carbon credits.
Project developers can enter into purchase/sale agreements and single-year or multi-year partnerships with buyers to secure evaluated carbon prices. The project developer does not need to guarantee credit quantities, as the brokerage assumes responsibility for managing the credits over a specific period and guarantees a price per credit. The brokerage markets any amount exceeding the agreed-upon price per credit to potential buyers. This option provides more long-term pricing stability.
Climate Action Reserve (CAR)
CAR is a nonprofit organization that promotes the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through market-based policies and solutions. CAR serves as an approved Offset Project Registry (OPR) for the State of California’s Cap-and-Trade Program and is integral in supporting the issuance and administration of compliance offsets.
CAR also establishes standards for voluntary offset projects in the North American voluntary carbon market. It operates as a publicly accessible registry for carbon credits generated under its standards. CAR has eight voluntary offset protocols for waste handling and methane destruction projects in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. They assist, advise, and register clients with voluntary offset projects.
SCS has partnered with clients to pursue voluntary offset projects in Organic Waste Composting and Organic Waste Digestion protocols. Contact SCS Engineers at or Greg McCarron on LinkedIn to learn how your project may qualify.
