12-6-224. Role of the commission.

For purposes of the registry, the commission shall:

1. (A)

   Adopt rules or regulations specifying acceptable types of carbon sequestration results consistent with paragraph (1) of Code Section 12-6-221 and this paragraph and providing procedures and protocols for the monitoring, estimating, calculating, reporting, and certification of carbon sequestration results for purposes of participation in the registry.#

2. (B)

   Procedures and protocols relative to forestry activities that are reported as a participant’s carbon sequestration results under subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of Code Section 12-6-221 shall require, at a minimum, that those forestry activities meet the following criteria in order to be reported as any part of a participant’s carbon sequestration results:#

   1. (i)

      Forestry activities shall be based on forest management practices within a defined project area that meet or exceed Georgia’s Best Management Practices for Forestry as published by the commission and that are not the subject of any ongoing remediation or penalty pursuant to judicial or administrative judgment or order for violation of any applicable requirements of federal, state, or local land use laws, regulations, or ordinances. Best management practices and federal, state, or local land use laws, regulations, or ordinances shall be those in effect each time a participant registers a defined project area in the registry;#

   2. (ii)

      Forestry activities reported as carbon sequestration results shall reflect the amount of time that net carbon gains are stored; and#

   3. (iii)

      Forestry activities shall maintain and promote native forests.#

3. (C)

   Procedures and protocols relative to sinks in agricultural soils that are reported as a participant’s carbon sequestration results under subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1) of Code Section 12-6-221 shall be adopted by the commission in accordance with the recommendation of the Commissioner of Agriculture.#

4. (D)

   The commission shall consider the availability and suitability of simplified techniques and tools when adopting procedures and protocols for the certification of carbon sequestration results.#

5. (E)

   The procedures and protocols adopted by the commission shall include a uniform format for reporting carbon sequestration results to facilitate their recognition in any future regulatory regime;#

Qualify third-party organizations that have the capability to certify reported baseline carbon sequestration results and that are capable of certifying the participant reported results as provided in this article; and#

Encourage organizations and individuals from various sectors of the state’s economy, and those from various geographic regions of the state, to report carbon sequestration results.#