GHG Management Institute and GE AES Venture Launch Institute’s First Corporate Partnership: Training To Advance Carbon Market

The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Management Institute, a not-for-profit corporation focused on carbon market education and training, and Greenhouse Gas Services, LLC, a venture of GE and the AES Corporation, announced today they have formed the Institute’s first corporate partnership. The Institute will develop and provide online courses to train professionals on accounting techniques for verifying the scientific and environmental integrity of greenhouse gas (GHG) credits generated by projects that reduce GHG emissions. Greenhouse Gas Services has granted the Institute a license to utilize its methodologies for the courses, including methodologies for projects that capture and destroy methane at coal mines and landfills.

The courses also will incorporate leading practices from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism and the World Resources Institute/World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WRI/WBCSD) GHG Protocol. Sector experts Raven Ridge Resources and SCS Engineers, which consulted on the development of Greenhouse Gas Services’ methodologies, will lead in developing course content. The Institute will begin offering the online courses in September. Additional courses covering other sectors will follow in late 2008 and early 2009.

”A sustainable market for greenhouse gas credits requires many more trained and qualified experts to ensure the scientific and environmental integrity of GHG credits,” said Karl R. Rábago, Director of Standards and Policies at Greenhouse Gas Services. “Greenhouse Gas Services is proud to support the GHG Management Institute and to put our methodologies to work to advance the US carbon market.”

“The GHG Management Institute was created to promote the professionalization of practitioners in the climate change marketplace,” said Tom Baumann, Director of Professional Programs at the Institute. “We are pleased to partner with Greenhouse Gas Services to further that goal. Greenhouse Gas Services is the first major company to collaborate with the Institute and a leader in the development of high-quality standards necessary for an efficient and effective GHG market.”

Greenhouse gas credits are generated by projects that reduce or prevent GHG emissions through various activities. For example, some projects involve the capture and destruction of methane, a greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Individuals or companies can reduce their impact on climate change by offsetting their emissions with GHG credits.

About Greenhouse Gas Management Institute
The GHG Management Institute is a not-for-profit corporation. Its founding sponsor is ClimateCHECK, and it is partnered with World Resources Institute and the Carbon Disclosure Project. Its mission is to train and develop a community of experts with the highest standards of professional practice in accounting, auditing and managing GHG emissions. The Institute provides entry-level and professional-level training worldwide via e-learning. More information: www.ghginstitute.org

About Greenhouse Gas Services, LLC
Greenhouse Gas Services, LLC is a venture of GE Energy Financial Services and the AES Corporation. The business invests in and develops projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sells greenhouse gas credits to companies that want to meet internal emissions reduction targets or to offset greenhouse gases from products and services. Each credit is verified by an independent third party and certified by Greenhouse Gas Services to a rigorous Standard of Practice. More information: www.ghgs.com.

Contact
Mr. Gao Pronove
GHG Management Institute
+1 612 284 3589
info@ghginstitute.org

Ms. Christa Bowers
Greenhouse Gas Services, LLC
+1 203 961 2934
christa.bowers@ge.com