Section 12-6-230. Certification of methodologies and results; approval of competent third-party organizations for certifying results; requirements of organizations; review, evaluation and reporting to Governor

   (a) Participants registering baseline carbon sequestration results in the registry shall provide certification of their methodologies and results. The commission may, upon recommendation of the director, following a public process, adopt simplified procedures to certify carbon sequestration results as appropriate. Participants shall follow commission approved procedures and protocols in determining carbon sequestration results and supply the quantity and quality of information necessary to allow an independent ex post certification of the baseline results reported under this program.

(b) The commission shall provide a list of approved third-party organizations recognized as competent to certify carbon sequestration results as provided in this article. The commission shall reopen the qualification process periodically in order for new organizations to be added to the approved list.

(c) Where required for certification, organizations approved pursuant to subsection (b) of this Code section shall do all of the following:

   (1) Evaluate whether the participant has a program, consistent with commission approved procedures and protocols, in place for preparation and submittal of the information reported under this article;

   (2) Check, during certification, the reasonableness of the carbon sequestration information being reported for a random sample of estimates or calculations; and

   (3) Summarize its review in a report to the board of directors, or equivalent governing body, of the participating legal entity or to the participating natural person, attesting to the existence of a program that is consistent with commission approved procedures and protocols and the reasonableness of the reported carbon sequestration results and noting any exceptions, omissions, limitations, or other qualifications to their representations.

(d) In conducting certification for a participant under this program, the approved organization shall schedule any meeting or meetings with the participant with a minimum of one week's notice at one or more representative locations and allow the participant to control property access. The meetings shall be conducted in accordance with a protocol that is agreed upon in advance by the participant and the approved organization. The approved organization shall not perform property inspection, direct measurement, monitoring, or testing unless authorized by the participant.

(e) To ensure the integrity and constant improvement of the registry program, the commission shall perform on a random basis an occasional review and evaluation of participants' carbon sequestration reporting, certifications, and the reasonableness of the information being reported for analysis of estimates or calculations. The director shall report any findings in writing. The director shall include a summary of these findings in the biennial report to the Governor and the General Assembly required by Code Section 12-6-231.

Code 1981, § 12-6-230, enacted by Ga. L. 2004, p. 343, § 1; Ga. L. 2012, p. 775, § 12/HB 942.