ANSI's GHG Pilot Attracts Third-party Groups
In response to its invitation to apply for a pilot accreditation program, the American National Standards Institute received nearly 70 submissions from greenhouse gas (GHG) validation and verification groups interested in the program.
ANSI accreditation recognizes the competence of bodies to carry out conformity assessment activities in accordance with the requirements defined in applicable International Standards. In the case of the GHG program, the ANSI accreditation process operates according to ISO 14065:2007, Greenhouse gases -- Requirements for greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies for use in accreditation or other forms of recognition.
"This large response to our call for applications certainly exceeded expectations," said Reinaldo Figueiredo, ANSI program director for product certification accreditation.
Interested applicants attended an orientation meeting on May 16 in San Diego, Calif., where they had an opportunity to meet with representatives from the California Climate Action Registry, The Climate Registry, and ANSI.
The pilot program will assess organizations against The Climate Registry's Verification Protocol (currently under revision), as well as the ISO 14064 series of standards (Parts 1 to 3) on greenhouse gases.
"ANSI is a logical solutions provider to support greenhouse gas measurement initiatives across the nation," added Figueiredo
Organizations that have been approved for participation in the pilot program will have until June 16 to submit their complete applications. Initial on-site assessments, as well as witness assessments, will be conducted during the summer months. Pilot applicants who demonstrate compliance with the program's requirements will be accredited simultaneously on Dec. 1.
Additional applications for the GHG accreditation program continue to be accepted, although new program participants will not enter the accreditation process until after Dec. 1, when the pilot accreditations are completed.
To learn more, visit the www.ansi.org/ghg.