This document discusses the lagging progress of nutrient trading programs compared to air emissions trading programs. Some potential reasons for the slower adoption of nutrient trading include relatively few trading partners, cautious initial restrictions that limited cost-effective trades, and difficulties regulating nonpoint sources like agricultural runoff. The Chesapeake Bay region has nutrient trading programs but they remain limited in scope, allowing few interstate or point-nonpoint trades. However, a recent court ruling upholding the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load may spur further expansion of nutrient trading in the region.
This document provides guidelines and resources for planning effective community service events at Lehigh University. It includes checklists for planning an event, definitions of different types of service, guidelines for incorporating community voice and conducting orientation. Educational materials are provided on integrating meaningful action, reflection, and evaluation. Contact information is given for on-campus and off-campus resources. The document aims to help student organizations effectively plan and implement community service activities that meet community needs.
Cape Town is a beautiful city with scenic views and natural landscapes. The article features 10 photos that capture the magic and beauty of Cape Town, showing iconic landmarks like Table Mountain and beaches along the coast. These photos provide a glimpse into what makes Cape Town a popular tourist destination worth visiting for its natural beauty and outdoor activities.
1) Some states are developing their own Clean Power Plans that could create opportunities for anaerobic digestion projects to sell renewable energy credits, even if the federal Clean Power Plan is rolled back.
2) States like Maryland and Pennsylvania are proposing legislation to establish programs that procure nutrient reduction credits from projects like anaerobic digestion, which could offer long-term revenue streams by selling verified nutrient credits.
3) There are open questions around how centralized nutrient credit procurement programs would be structured and operate to best support project financing and participation from small sellers of nutrient credits.
MHL.CPB TOWG.ROOTS & BRANCHES.Lessons from Early ET.fnl.12-14-15CMike Levin
This document discusses lessons learned from the development and implementation of air emissions trading programs between 1979-1989 that may be applicable to nutrient and water quality trading programs. Some key points:
1) While air and water pollution differ, the experience from air emissions trading provides insights into designing successful trading programs, overcoming obstacles, and building stakeholder support.
2) Early air trading programs faced significant environmental group skepticism but gradually expanded in scope by removing constraints, incorporating feedback, and demonstrating initial success stories.
3) Core issues in balancing environmental goals with workable trading programs include establishing appropriate baselines, ensuring equivalent and surplus reductions, and preventing reduction "confiscation."
4) Procedural issues like stream
The document provides an overview of integrative learning portfolios implemented at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. It discusses how portfolios were initially piloted in 2004 and have since been expanded and integrated more fully across the curriculum. The school's approach emphasizes using portfolios to help students critically reflect on their experiences, make connections between classroom and fieldwork learning, and apply knowledge from one context to another. The document outlines how portfolios are currently implemented through a seminar course and describes plans to further scale up the use of portfolios by infusing reflective exercises and content generation throughout the entire curriculum.
Lessons from the birth of ET.Part 1.FNL.5-3-16Mike Levin
This two-part article discusses the evolution of emissions trading (ET) programs under the Clean Air Act and examines lessons that can help accelerate nutrient trading programs under the Clean Water Act. It outlines how early ET programs faced challenges but were able to resolve issues like determining credible emissions reductions through incremental policy changes and stakeholder outreach. The successes of air ET programs can provide guidance for nutrient trading programs that aim to incentivize projects like anaerobic digestion. Part 1 focuses on the history and development of air ET while Part 2 will examine barriers to water quality trading and how experiences from air programs could help advance nutrient markets.
This document provides guidelines and resources for planning effective community service events at Lehigh University. It includes checklists for planning an event, definitions of different types of service, guidelines for incorporating community voice and conducting orientation. Educational materials are provided on integrating meaningful action, reflection, and evaluation. Contact information is given for on-campus and off-campus resources. The document aims to help student organizations effectively plan and implement community service activities that meet community needs.
Cape Town is a beautiful city with scenic views and natural landscapes. The article features 10 photos that capture the magic and beauty of Cape Town, showing iconic landmarks like Table Mountain and beaches along the coast. These photos provide a glimpse into what makes Cape Town a popular tourist destination worth visiting for its natural beauty and outdoor activities.
1) Some states are developing their own Clean Power Plans that could create opportunities for anaerobic digestion projects to sell renewable energy credits, even if the federal Clean Power Plan is rolled back.
2) States like Maryland and Pennsylvania are proposing legislation to establish programs that procure nutrient reduction credits from projects like anaerobic digestion, which could offer long-term revenue streams by selling verified nutrient credits.
3) There are open questions around how centralized nutrient credit procurement programs would be structured and operate to best support project financing and participation from small sellers of nutrient credits.
MHL.CPB TOWG.ROOTS & BRANCHES.Lessons from Early ET.fnl.12-14-15CMike Levin
This document discusses lessons learned from the development and implementation of air emissions trading programs between 1979-1989 that may be applicable to nutrient and water quality trading programs. Some key points:
1) While air and water pollution differ, the experience from air emissions trading provides insights into designing successful trading programs, overcoming obstacles, and building stakeholder support.
2) Early air trading programs faced significant environmental group skepticism but gradually expanded in scope by removing constraints, incorporating feedback, and demonstrating initial success stories.
3) Core issues in balancing environmental goals with workable trading programs include establishing appropriate baselines, ensuring equivalent and surplus reductions, and preventing reduction "confiscation."
4) Procedural issues like stream
The document provides an overview of integrative learning portfolios implemented at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. It discusses how portfolios were initially piloted in 2004 and have since been expanded and integrated more fully across the curriculum. The school's approach emphasizes using portfolios to help students critically reflect on their experiences, make connections between classroom and fieldwork learning, and apply knowledge from one context to another. The document outlines how portfolios are currently implemented through a seminar course and describes plans to further scale up the use of portfolios by infusing reflective exercises and content generation throughout the entire curriculum.
Lessons from the birth of ET.Part 1.FNL.5-3-16Mike Levin
This two-part article discusses the evolution of emissions trading (ET) programs under the Clean Air Act and examines lessons that can help accelerate nutrient trading programs under the Clean Water Act. It outlines how early ET programs faced challenges but were able to resolve issues like determining credible emissions reductions through incremental policy changes and stakeholder outreach. The successes of air ET programs can provide guidance for nutrient trading programs that aim to incentivize projects like anaerobic digestion. Part 1 focuses on the history and development of air ET while Part 2 will examine barriers to water quality trading and how experiences from air programs could help advance nutrient markets.
Making Impact Boring Workshop Conservation Finance David Boghossian 2016 v2 alDavid Boghossian
The document discusses harnessing investment to solve global problems by making impact investing more mainstream and profitable. It notes that $90 trillion will be invested in infrastructure over the next 15 years, while global philanthropy is only $500-600 billion. Impact investing, which focuses on social/environmental solutions, could be 30 times more impactful if the $16-18 trillion in global savings was directed that way. However, impact investing currently makes up only 1-2% of the market. The document proposes moving investments along two axes - social/environmental benefit and financial return - to attract more mainstream investors by making impact investing "boring and profitable."
Green Marketing And The FTC\'s Green Guidesverdantlaw
The document summarizes a presentation given by Philip Moffat of Verdant Law on green marketing and the Federal Trade Commission's Green Guides. The presentation provided background on green marketing and "greenwashing," an overview of how green marketing is regulated in the US with a focus on the FTC's Green Guides, and a review of proposed revisions to the Guides. The presentation established principles from the Guides for making environmental marketing claims in a truthful and non-deceptive manner.
This document discusses corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the oil and gas industry and the importance of managing reputational risk. It notes that oil and gas companies face significant environmental, health, safety, liability, and reputational risks. While fossil fuels have driven economic growth, oil and gas production also imposes costs on society like pollution, spills, injuries and deaths. As a result, companies are expected to self-regulate and do more than just comply with laws to minimize risks and harm to society. The document examines the origins and growth of CSR programs used by oil and gas companies to navigate changing social expectations and manage their reputational risks.
Marketing stuff mcgraw-hill- The marketing environmentFred Mmbololo
This document provides an overview of the marketing environment and how companies monitor and respond to changes within it. It discusses the macroenvironment, which includes political/legal, economic, ecological/physical, social/cultural, and technological forces outside a company's control. It also briefly introduces the microenvironment, which includes customers, competitors, distributors, and suppliers. The document focuses on describing the political/legal forces in the EU and individual countries that can influence marketing, such as laws around competition, mergers and acquisitions, state aid, and national regulations. It then discusses key economic forces including economic growth and unemployment, interest and exchange rates, and the growth of emerging markets.
This document provides an overview of the political and legal forces in the marketing environment. It discusses how the European Union regulates competition through laws preventing collusion, abuse of market dominance, and restrictions on mergers and acquisitions. It also discusses laws around state aid and how national governments can influence companies. Specific examples are given of industries fined for price fixing cartels. Overall, the political and legal environment in the EU creates regulations that shape competition between companies.
Share nl collaborative economy environmental impact and opportunities reportshareNL
This research explores the environmental impact of the collaborative economy: an emerging and varied phenomenon on which little information is available. The research focuses particularly on goods within the collaborative economy, but also provides a description of the entire collaborative economy landscape and its sustainability impact. The broad conclusion is that the sharing of goods has significant positive environmental impact because under-used capacity is exploited to accommodate consumption needs.
Mergers Acquisitions and Other Restructuring Activities 9th Edition DePamphil...lujepyce
Full download : http://alibabadownload.com/product/mergers-acquisitions-and-other-restructuring-activities-9th-edition-depamphilis-solutions-manual/
Mergers Acquisitions and Other Restructuring Activities 9th Edition DePamphilis Solutions Manual
1. Cap-and-trade programs establish a limit or "cap" on greenhouse gas emissions. Polluting firms are issued permits allowing them to emit a certain amount of gases. Firms can trade permits, creating a market price for emissions. Over time, the cap is reduced, lowering total emissions.
2. A carbon tax sets a price per ton of greenhouse gases emitted. This makes polluters pay for external costs of emissions and incentivizes reducing emissions to cut tax costs. The tax increases production costs, lowering output.
3. Command-and-control regulation uses rules like quotas, bans, and subsidies to directly control pollution. However, it involves high monitoring and enforcement costs and may favor producers over consumers
International Regulatory Cooperation (Policy Brief 2020)OECD Governance
Laws and regulations are pervasive to all areas of life for businesses and citizens. They are an essential part of the policy
making at national level. Yet, laws and regulations often have domestic reach, while many of today’s most pressing
policy challenges transcend national borders as illustrated by global pandemics such as the COVID-19, environmental
issues such as climate change or dealing with digitalisation. This mismatch means states must cooperate to fully achieve
their public policy objectives and to ensure the well-being of their citizens.
This policy brief:
1 ) outlines the main reasons for cooperating on laws and regulations;
2 ) identifies how countries can cooperate on their laws and regulations; and
3 ) considers how international rule-makers can improve their activity.
This document discusses several ethical dilemmas that international managers may face, including corruption, industrial espionage, environmental impacts, employee relations, and consumer relations. It provides examples of how some companies, such as Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, Levi Strauss, and McDonald's, have addressed these issues in both ethical and unethical ways. Unethical behavior can negatively impact a company's reputation and stock price over the long term.
2016 Governing tropical deforestation from beyond the tropics_An Overview by ...Sam McGlennon
Downstream actors have developed various responses to address tropical deforestation linked to international trade, but these have significant limitations. Voluntary certification schemes set by companies cannot fully address the problem on their own and have weakened standards. Governments have been reluctant to regulate imports due to concerns around sovereignty and trade laws. While responses have raised awareness, deforestation remains politically and commercially acceptable. Current approaches may help transform practices over time by collectively signalling the need for change, though fragmentation limits their impact. More ambitious action is needed from both private and public sectors.
The document discusses various economic incentive approaches that governments can use to encourage environmentally friendly business practices and compliance with pollution standards. These include imposing charges or fines on businesses that emit excessive pollutants; implementing "green" taxes based on the environmental damage caused; deposit-refund schemes for recyclable products; information programs to influence consumer behavior; allowing tradable emission permits between companies; providing subsidies for clean technologies; and establishing property rights to resources to address the "tragedy of the commons" problem. Overall, the document analyzes how economic incentives can be a more effective alternative to direct regulation for modifying polluter behavior.
Share nl report for the ministry of economic affairs on the innovation in the...shareNL
This report summarises research on barriers to investment in innovation and whether opportunities are currently feasible or not in the collaborative economy, and in the area of green growth. For this purpose, multiple roundtable meetings have been organised and interviews have been held with entrepreneurs, academics, legal experts, representatives of companies and government, who are active in the field of the collaborative economy. This summary sets outs the priority aspects of the collaborative economy which require action.
The collaborative economy contributes to green growth, but its potential can be utilised better. This can be achieved by looking at the opportunities and barriers, which now exist because the difference between producers and consumers has become more blurred, as well as changing trends of consumers renting or sharing products rather than owning products. As a result new risks and questions arise concerning liability, taxation, and competition. This report suggests a role for the government in four areas: (1) to ensure that current legislation is clear in how it applies to the collaborative economy; (2) to provide regulatory flexibility for experiments; (3) to monitor relevant developments and safeguard the public interest; and (4) to address the barriers that have been identified in this research.
On October 31st and November 1st, 2016, the Center for Regulation and Infrastructure from Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV CERI) organized a two-day workshop discussion in collaboration with the World Bank and ABRACE. The event gathered regulators, government representatives, academics, operators, financial institutions and investors. The debate focused on the main challenges faced by the current restructuring process of the Brazilian gas industry. This document presents the main points discussed during the debates.
Date: 2017-01
Authors:
Vazquez, Miguel
Amorim, Lívia
Dutra, Joísa Campanher
LTR Wac For Small Business CMTE Hearing 7-30-14artba
The Waters Advocacy Coalition (WAC) supports the House Small Business Committee's attention to the proposed Clean Water Act rule redefining "Waters of the United States." WAC believes the rule would significantly expand federal jurisdiction over small bodies of water and wetlands, increasing permitting requirements and costs for small businesses. The EPA failed to properly analyze the rule's economic impacts or comply with laws requiring consideration of its effects on small entities. If finalized, the rule could delay infrastructure projects, increase compliance costs, and disadvantage small businesses.
A mix of traditional, market-derived and selfimposed regulation is helping the mining and other industries to more effectively protect the environment. Proper environmental management can no longer be viewed as a constraint to business. Rather, it creates an opportunity for smart companies to demonstrate their capacity for market leadership, resulting in greater support from investors, customers and the wider community. The commercial benefits of a proactive approach to environmental management are becoming clearer. Rather than relying on reactive, compliance-based approaches, businesses are now recognising that efficient management in the environmental arena, which harnesses the benefits of selfregulation, is good for business. It helps creates a better image that in current markets attracts investors and new customers and managers are now able to acknowledge that environmental issues should be integrated into all aspects of daily business activity.
The document outlines various policy tools that governments can use to address problems, including taxes, regulation, subsidies and grants, service provision, budgets, information, private rights, economic frameworks, education, financing, and bureaucratic reforms. For each tool, it discusses what actions governments might take and why they might use that particular approach. The overall document serves as a reference for thinking creatively about different policy solutions that could be applied to specific issues.
This document discusses sustainability from an accounting perspective. It begins by describing a scenario where an American energy company secures a contract to build a hydroelectric plant in Africa. While initially praised, the project faces emerging issues like risky technology, payments to regulators, and threats to an endangered species. An accounting methodology is needed to assess the project's financial, social and environmental impacts.
It then discusses how sustainability incorporates analytical practices to manage such scenarios. Accountants are well-positioned to provide an accounting perspective given their experience evaluating trade-offs for mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures. Standards are emerging from groups like SASB, GRI and GIIN to help organizations manage sustainability. Case studies can train accountants to
1
NAME OF REGISTRANT: Chevron (CVX)
Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia:
609 South Convent Road, Aston, PA 19014
Written materials are submitted pursuant to Rule 14a-6(g)(1) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934. Submission is not required of this filer under the terms of the Rule, but is made voluntarily in the
interest of public disclosure and consideration of these important issues.
The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia and fourteen other co-filers urge you to vote FOR Proposal # 10 at the
Chevron Annual Meeting on May 25
th
.
Proposal # 10 on Chevron’s 2016 Proxy Statement:
Argument in Favor
Hydraulic fracturing operations pose significant environmental and social impacts and risks, leading to financial
risks for companies due to increased community opposition and regulatory scrutiny. Shareholder proposals
requesting enhanced reporting on this issue continue to earn support from 25-33% of shareholders, indicating
sustained concern from shareholders about the inadequacy of existing company risk management disclosures.
Currently, Chevron is not providing investors with a set of metrics sufficient to assess the risks and impacts
associated with the company’s hydraulic fracturing operations. This memo contextualizes the issues of concern
and outlines specific key areas of inadequate disclosure by Chevron.
Chevron is among the top 10 natural gas producers in the United States, yet fails to comprehensively disclose
the impacts of its hydraulic fracturing operations on air, water, land, and communities to shareholders. In
comparison with its peers, Chevron provides very little data on its website and 10-K on key environmental and
social indicators. Absent quantitative disclosure from the company regarding its environmental and community
impacts, shareholders are unable to rigorously assess the risks that may be associated with those impacts.
Consequently, the resolved clause of the Proposal asks Chevron’s board to report-- via quantitative indicators--
on the results of company policies and practices, above and beyond regulatory requirements, to minimize
potential adverse impacts on local communities and water resources. The supporting statement suggests this
CHEVRON SHAREHOLDER PROPOSAL #10
Chevron Fails to Disclose Quantitative Risk Metrics Associated with Hydraulic Fracturing
2
reporting be done by relevant geographic region – such as per ‘shale play’, because so many impacts, especially
those related to water quantity and quality, are regional in nature, addressing at a minimum:
• Quantity of fresh water used for shale operations by region, including source
• Percentage of recycled water used by region;
• Systematic post-drilling groundwater quality assessments;
• Percentage of drilling residuals managed in closed-loop systems;
• Goals to eliminate the use of open pits for storage of drilling fluid and flowback water, wi ...
The document summarizes an electronic consultation organized by Rimisp on the World Bank Group's draft framework for engagement in the palm oil sector. Over 280 participants from 51 countries registered for the consultation and provided feedback. Key issues raised by participants included clarifying whether the document presents a framework or strategy, defining boundaries around acceptable activities, reliance on certification schemes, environmental and social impact monitoring, addressing concerns of smallholders and vulnerable groups, and prioritizing research. Participants hoped the consultation would help develop a more comprehensive strategy to guide sustainable palm oil sector development.
Making Impact Boring Workshop Conservation Finance David Boghossian 2016 v2 alDavid Boghossian
The document discusses harnessing investment to solve global problems by making impact investing more mainstream and profitable. It notes that $90 trillion will be invested in infrastructure over the next 15 years, while global philanthropy is only $500-600 billion. Impact investing, which focuses on social/environmental solutions, could be 30 times more impactful if the $16-18 trillion in global savings was directed that way. However, impact investing currently makes up only 1-2% of the market. The document proposes moving investments along two axes - social/environmental benefit and financial return - to attract more mainstream investors by making impact investing "boring and profitable."
Green Marketing And The FTC\'s Green Guidesverdantlaw
The document summarizes a presentation given by Philip Moffat of Verdant Law on green marketing and the Federal Trade Commission's Green Guides. The presentation provided background on green marketing and "greenwashing," an overview of how green marketing is regulated in the US with a focus on the FTC's Green Guides, and a review of proposed revisions to the Guides. The presentation established principles from the Guides for making environmental marketing claims in a truthful and non-deceptive manner.
This document discusses corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the oil and gas industry and the importance of managing reputational risk. It notes that oil and gas companies face significant environmental, health, safety, liability, and reputational risks. While fossil fuels have driven economic growth, oil and gas production also imposes costs on society like pollution, spills, injuries and deaths. As a result, companies are expected to self-regulate and do more than just comply with laws to minimize risks and harm to society. The document examines the origins and growth of CSR programs used by oil and gas companies to navigate changing social expectations and manage their reputational risks.
Marketing stuff mcgraw-hill- The marketing environmentFred Mmbololo
This document provides an overview of the marketing environment and how companies monitor and respond to changes within it. It discusses the macroenvironment, which includes political/legal, economic, ecological/physical, social/cultural, and technological forces outside a company's control. It also briefly introduces the microenvironment, which includes customers, competitors, distributors, and suppliers. The document focuses on describing the political/legal forces in the EU and individual countries that can influence marketing, such as laws around competition, mergers and acquisitions, state aid, and national regulations. It then discusses key economic forces including economic growth and unemployment, interest and exchange rates, and the growth of emerging markets.
This document provides an overview of the political and legal forces in the marketing environment. It discusses how the European Union regulates competition through laws preventing collusion, abuse of market dominance, and restrictions on mergers and acquisitions. It also discusses laws around state aid and how national governments can influence companies. Specific examples are given of industries fined for price fixing cartels. Overall, the political and legal environment in the EU creates regulations that shape competition between companies.
Share nl collaborative economy environmental impact and opportunities reportshareNL
This research explores the environmental impact of the collaborative economy: an emerging and varied phenomenon on which little information is available. The research focuses particularly on goods within the collaborative economy, but also provides a description of the entire collaborative economy landscape and its sustainability impact. The broad conclusion is that the sharing of goods has significant positive environmental impact because under-used capacity is exploited to accommodate consumption needs.
Mergers Acquisitions and Other Restructuring Activities 9th Edition DePamphil...lujepyce
Full download : http://alibabadownload.com/product/mergers-acquisitions-and-other-restructuring-activities-9th-edition-depamphilis-solutions-manual/
Mergers Acquisitions and Other Restructuring Activities 9th Edition DePamphilis Solutions Manual
1. Cap-and-trade programs establish a limit or "cap" on greenhouse gas emissions. Polluting firms are issued permits allowing them to emit a certain amount of gases. Firms can trade permits, creating a market price for emissions. Over time, the cap is reduced, lowering total emissions.
2. A carbon tax sets a price per ton of greenhouse gases emitted. This makes polluters pay for external costs of emissions and incentivizes reducing emissions to cut tax costs. The tax increases production costs, lowering output.
3. Command-and-control regulation uses rules like quotas, bans, and subsidies to directly control pollution. However, it involves high monitoring and enforcement costs and may favor producers over consumers
International Regulatory Cooperation (Policy Brief 2020)OECD Governance
Laws and regulations are pervasive to all areas of life for businesses and citizens. They are an essential part of the policy
making at national level. Yet, laws and regulations often have domestic reach, while many of today’s most pressing
policy challenges transcend national borders as illustrated by global pandemics such as the COVID-19, environmental
issues such as climate change or dealing with digitalisation. This mismatch means states must cooperate to fully achieve
their public policy objectives and to ensure the well-being of their citizens.
This policy brief:
1 ) outlines the main reasons for cooperating on laws and regulations;
2 ) identifies how countries can cooperate on their laws and regulations; and
3 ) considers how international rule-makers can improve their activity.
This document discusses several ethical dilemmas that international managers may face, including corruption, industrial espionage, environmental impacts, employee relations, and consumer relations. It provides examples of how some companies, such as Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, Levi Strauss, and McDonald's, have addressed these issues in both ethical and unethical ways. Unethical behavior can negatively impact a company's reputation and stock price over the long term.
2016 Governing tropical deforestation from beyond the tropics_An Overview by ...Sam McGlennon
Downstream actors have developed various responses to address tropical deforestation linked to international trade, but these have significant limitations. Voluntary certification schemes set by companies cannot fully address the problem on their own and have weakened standards. Governments have been reluctant to regulate imports due to concerns around sovereignty and trade laws. While responses have raised awareness, deforestation remains politically and commercially acceptable. Current approaches may help transform practices over time by collectively signalling the need for change, though fragmentation limits their impact. More ambitious action is needed from both private and public sectors.
The document discusses various economic incentive approaches that governments can use to encourage environmentally friendly business practices and compliance with pollution standards. These include imposing charges or fines on businesses that emit excessive pollutants; implementing "green" taxes based on the environmental damage caused; deposit-refund schemes for recyclable products; information programs to influence consumer behavior; allowing tradable emission permits between companies; providing subsidies for clean technologies; and establishing property rights to resources to address the "tragedy of the commons" problem. Overall, the document analyzes how economic incentives can be a more effective alternative to direct regulation for modifying polluter behavior.
Share nl report for the ministry of economic affairs on the innovation in the...shareNL
This report summarises research on barriers to investment in innovation and whether opportunities are currently feasible or not in the collaborative economy, and in the area of green growth. For this purpose, multiple roundtable meetings have been organised and interviews have been held with entrepreneurs, academics, legal experts, representatives of companies and government, who are active in the field of the collaborative economy. This summary sets outs the priority aspects of the collaborative economy which require action.
The collaborative economy contributes to green growth, but its potential can be utilised better. This can be achieved by looking at the opportunities and barriers, which now exist because the difference between producers and consumers has become more blurred, as well as changing trends of consumers renting or sharing products rather than owning products. As a result new risks and questions arise concerning liability, taxation, and competition. This report suggests a role for the government in four areas: (1) to ensure that current legislation is clear in how it applies to the collaborative economy; (2) to provide regulatory flexibility for experiments; (3) to monitor relevant developments and safeguard the public interest; and (4) to address the barriers that have been identified in this research.
On October 31st and November 1st, 2016, the Center for Regulation and Infrastructure from Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV CERI) organized a two-day workshop discussion in collaboration with the World Bank and ABRACE. The event gathered regulators, government representatives, academics, operators, financial institutions and investors. The debate focused on the main challenges faced by the current restructuring process of the Brazilian gas industry. This document presents the main points discussed during the debates.
Date: 2017-01
Authors:
Vazquez, Miguel
Amorim, Lívia
Dutra, Joísa Campanher
LTR Wac For Small Business CMTE Hearing 7-30-14artba
The Waters Advocacy Coalition (WAC) supports the House Small Business Committee's attention to the proposed Clean Water Act rule redefining "Waters of the United States." WAC believes the rule would significantly expand federal jurisdiction over small bodies of water and wetlands, increasing permitting requirements and costs for small businesses. The EPA failed to properly analyze the rule's economic impacts or comply with laws requiring consideration of its effects on small entities. If finalized, the rule could delay infrastructure projects, increase compliance costs, and disadvantage small businesses.
A mix of traditional, market-derived and selfimposed regulation is helping the mining and other industries to more effectively protect the environment. Proper environmental management can no longer be viewed as a constraint to business. Rather, it creates an opportunity for smart companies to demonstrate their capacity for market leadership, resulting in greater support from investors, customers and the wider community. The commercial benefits of a proactive approach to environmental management are becoming clearer. Rather than relying on reactive, compliance-based approaches, businesses are now recognising that efficient management in the environmental arena, which harnesses the benefits of selfregulation, is good for business. It helps creates a better image that in current markets attracts investors and new customers and managers are now able to acknowledge that environmental issues should be integrated into all aspects of daily business activity.
The document outlines various policy tools that governments can use to address problems, including taxes, regulation, subsidies and grants, service provision, budgets, information, private rights, economic frameworks, education, financing, and bureaucratic reforms. For each tool, it discusses what actions governments might take and why they might use that particular approach. The overall document serves as a reference for thinking creatively about different policy solutions that could be applied to specific issues.
This document discusses sustainability from an accounting perspective. It begins by describing a scenario where an American energy company secures a contract to build a hydroelectric plant in Africa. While initially praised, the project faces emerging issues like risky technology, payments to regulators, and threats to an endangered species. An accounting methodology is needed to assess the project's financial, social and environmental impacts.
It then discusses how sustainability incorporates analytical practices to manage such scenarios. Accountants are well-positioned to provide an accounting perspective given their experience evaluating trade-offs for mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures. Standards are emerging from groups like SASB, GRI and GIIN to help organizations manage sustainability. Case studies can train accountants to
1
NAME OF REGISTRANT: Chevron (CVX)
Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia:
609 South Convent Road, Aston, PA 19014
Written materials are submitted pursuant to Rule 14a-6(g)(1) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934. Submission is not required of this filer under the terms of the Rule, but is made voluntarily in the
interest of public disclosure and consideration of these important issues.
The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia and fourteen other co-filers urge you to vote FOR Proposal # 10 at the
Chevron Annual Meeting on May 25
th
.
Proposal # 10 on Chevron’s 2016 Proxy Statement:
Argument in Favor
Hydraulic fracturing operations pose significant environmental and social impacts and risks, leading to financial
risks for companies due to increased community opposition and regulatory scrutiny. Shareholder proposals
requesting enhanced reporting on this issue continue to earn support from 25-33% of shareholders, indicating
sustained concern from shareholders about the inadequacy of existing company risk management disclosures.
Currently, Chevron is not providing investors with a set of metrics sufficient to assess the risks and impacts
associated with the company’s hydraulic fracturing operations. This memo contextualizes the issues of concern
and outlines specific key areas of inadequate disclosure by Chevron.
Chevron is among the top 10 natural gas producers in the United States, yet fails to comprehensively disclose
the impacts of its hydraulic fracturing operations on air, water, land, and communities to shareholders. In
comparison with its peers, Chevron provides very little data on its website and 10-K on key environmental and
social indicators. Absent quantitative disclosure from the company regarding its environmental and community
impacts, shareholders are unable to rigorously assess the risks that may be associated with those impacts.
Consequently, the resolved clause of the Proposal asks Chevron’s board to report-- via quantitative indicators--
on the results of company policies and practices, above and beyond regulatory requirements, to minimize
potential adverse impacts on local communities and water resources. The supporting statement suggests this
CHEVRON SHAREHOLDER PROPOSAL #10
Chevron Fails to Disclose Quantitative Risk Metrics Associated with Hydraulic Fracturing
2
reporting be done by relevant geographic region – such as per ‘shale play’, because so many impacts, especially
those related to water quantity and quality, are regional in nature, addressing at a minimum:
• Quantity of fresh water used for shale operations by region, including source
• Percentage of recycled water used by region;
• Systematic post-drilling groundwater quality assessments;
• Percentage of drilling residuals managed in closed-loop systems;
• Goals to eliminate the use of open pits for storage of drilling fluid and flowback water, wi ...
The document summarizes an electronic consultation organized by Rimisp on the World Bank Group's draft framework for engagement in the palm oil sector. Over 280 participants from 51 countries registered for the consultation and provided feedback. Key issues raised by participants included clarifying whether the document presents a framework or strategy, defining boundaries around acceptable activities, reliance on certification schemes, environmental and social impact monitoring, addressing concerns of smallholders and vulnerable groups, and prioritizing research. Participants hoped the consultation would help develop a more comprehensive strategy to guide sustainable palm oil sector development.
Presentación resultados consulta electrónica organizada por Rimisp
BIRTH OF ET.Part 2.FNL.6-15-16
1. 48 BioCyCle June 2016
D
ESPITE decades of discussion,
proposals and federal or state
agency guidance, nutrient trad-
ing lags far behind what emis-
sions trading approaches have
achieved for clean air. This may be due
in part to factors such as: 1) Relatively
few trading partners on some water
bodies; 2) Poor knowledge of how much
water trading work already has been
done; and 3) Cautious initial restric-
tions that precluded highly cost-effec-
tive trades — for example, between re-
ductions in urban storm water runoff
(often costing thousands of dollars per
pound) and agricultural runoff (gener-
ally costing tens of dollars per pound).
It also may be due to the fact that
water agencies encountered the limit-
ed ability of traditional “command and
control” regulation to deal with dis-
persed non-factory sources much later
than their air counterparts, who were
wrestling with intractable smog traced
to emissions from sources such as auto
body, dry cleaning and print shops in
the 1970s. As one environmental ad-
vocate recently noted, he now supports
nutrient trading “because he was ‘out
of ideas’ on how to reduce pollution
from nonpoint sources … Nothing else
has worked.”
Whatever the reasons, even for wa-
ter bodies like the Chesapeake Bay
— America’s largest
estuary and de facto
nutrient trading mod-
el, with seven affected
states and thousands of
nitrogen and phospho-
rus contributors — the
situation does not much
differ from when BioCy-
cle surveyed the nutri-
ent scene in 2012 (“How
to Generate Tradeable
Nutrient Reduction
Credits,” June 2012;
“Understanding The
Value of Nutrient Credits,” Aug. 2012).
Virginia, for example, enacted a nu-
trient trading law solely for wastewater
treatment plant (WWTP) point sources
in 2005, expanded it to allow WWTP
storm sewer overflow trades just for
nitrogen in 2012, and still limits phos-
phorus trades to narrow circumstanc-
es. Pennsylvania issued point source
compliance and offset rules solely for
WWTPs in 2012, but still has not in-
cluded storm water discharges. Mary-
land nominally adopted point-point and
point-nonpoint regimes in 2008 but lim-
ited them to offsets for new or expand-
ing WWTPs. It began moving just last
year to allow point/nonpoint trading
between two or more existing sources.
None of the Chesapeake Bay states
(see box p. 49) currently allows inter-
state nutrient trades — a scenario with
the greatest potential to mobilize re-
ductions due to source mix, geographic
As Chesapeake Bay states, other jurisdictions
and their stakeholders move forward with
nutrient trading, they may want to keep
in mind some “early Emissions Trading”
lessons from the air world.
Part II
Michael H. Levin
BENEFITS FOR AD PROJECTS
Is Nutrient
Trading
Poised For A Surge?
Nutrient Trading (often called “water quality trading”) to reduce
flows of nitrogen and phosphorus is still a struggle for the Chesa-
peake Bay and elsewhere, beset by concerns that air emissions
trading resolved decades ago. How those air resolutions were
achieved contains important lessons for implementing “market-
based” nutrient trades.
Part I of this article (“Lessons from the Birth of Emissions Trad-
ing,” May 2016) traced why emissions trading became an air-world
paradigm, how simultaneous developments under the Clean Water
Act laid the foundation for potentially robust nutrient trading, and why
core principles for environmentally-sound air trading apply to both
worlds. Part II examines why nutrient trading has lagged far behind
air emissions trading, and why that seems poised to change.
Many anaerobic digestion
projects that avoid nutrient
runoff from feedstocks that
otherwise would be land
applied may be able to
realize long-term revenues
from nutrient credit sales.
2. June 2016 BioCycle 49
scope and resulting market liquidity for
“surplus” reductions in discharges. And
largely from resistance to any regula-
tion by many agricultural sources —
plus citizen group concerns about urban
“hotspots” of concentrated pollution ab-
sent uniform across-the-board reduc-
tion mandates,or“inflated”farm credits
that might allow WWTPs to discharge
without compensating “real” reductions
— few in-state trades have occurred.
Nevertheless, EPA’s Bay-wide Total
Maximum Daily Loading (TMDL) Rule
(link in online version of this article)
recently was affirmed over national ag-
ricultural group opposition (American
Farm Bureau Federation v. EPA, 3rd
Circuit, July 2015, cert. denied, U.S.
Supreme Court, Feb. 29, 2016).The Bay
TMDL sets maximum allowable nu-
trient loadings for both point (mainly
WWTP) and nonpoint sources, pro-
viding a meaningful interstate base-
line for the first time. It also requires
Bay states to develop enforceable re-
duction measures for runoff sources
whose “control requirements” largely
had been voluntary.
Judicial endorsement removes sub-
stantial TMDL uncertainty and should
clear the way for further state action.
That seems especially true because the
Bay states were full participants in
the TMDL’s development, and none of
them objected to it. The Farm Bureau
challenge was pursued only by par-
ties that were not directly affected by
the TMDL and were mainly concerned
with its possible “ripple effects” to other
jurisdictions. Notwithstanding ques-
tions about these parties’ legal “stand-
ing” to challenge the Rule, the Third
Circuit went straight to the merits of
their claims and rejected them. Such
objections should become even more dif-
ficult to maintain as theTMDL is imple-
mented and asserted disasters either do
not materialize or are reduced to facts
rather than speculation.
“AIR ET” LESSONS
As the Bay states, other jurisdictions,
and their stakeholders move forward
with nutrient trading, they may want
to keep in mind some “early Emissions
Trading” lessons from the air world:
• Outreach is crucial. Listen with
care to stakeholders before (and while)
rolling out new or expanded nutrient
trading programs. Sources and citizens
should listen with equal care to what
agencies are saying, not what they pre-
conceive is being said. Then all parties
should keep listening. Whether friendly
or hostile, active participants can help
identify workable compromises and
keep tweaking the program towards
general acceptance.
• Stakeholder trust must be earned.
This takes input, transparency, credible
feedback loops, and time. Agency staff
should report positive developments as
well as negative ones, and should not
be stampeded by the inevitable “phony
trade” that pushes an envelope too far.
Such “horror stories” often are valuable
to inform mid-course corrections.
• Be proactive. Prime trading pros-
pects typically are those with the most
to save or earn from trades. But trad-
ing applications also represent risks for
applicants who put resources and their
jobs on the line. Thus prospects may
hold back due to“first in line”syndrome.
At least in the beginning, agencies may
have to invite them in to generate ap-
plications — or go find them.Applicants
may have to trust that perceived risks
will be manageable, in order to respond.
Clusters of farms may have to negotiate
mutual “compliance contracts” in order
to trade as a group, minimize fees from
reduction aggregators, and spread non-
compliance risks.
• Don’t overpromise — and don’t
seek perfection either.Trading is a tool,
not a silver bullet. It may reveal but
not by itself be able to cure larger pro-
gram flaws. Thus mid-course adjust-
ments can’t be avoided. Stakeholders
should expect (and be invited to join
in) them.
At the same time, nothing in envi-
ronmental law requires a watertight
trading system with 100 percent confi-
dence that each pound of reduction “tru-
ly is surplus.” Common-sense trading
weighs likely pollution reduction gains
against possibly foregone pollution re-
ductions from traditional approaches.
Reasonable assurance that gains will
prevail over such “foregone reductions”
in the longer run — taking into account
improved information about real reduc-
tions, better data on the performance of
runoff measures, and better compliance
by those seeking creditable reductions
— should be enough. That seems par-
ticularly true if the program includes
“phase downs”where overall limits peri-
odically decrease by a fixed percentage,
so that any questionable reductions will
be neutralized over time as the trading
baseline is reset and moves down.
• Start small if necessary, but get a
workable opportunity out on the street
to be used. A trading program without
current or imminent users has few con-
stituents with skin in the game to sup-
port, improve or expand it.
• Give users maximum possible cer-
tainty. For example, the Final ET Policy
grandfathered air applicants against
trading rule changes adopted while their
applications were pending. It also en-
couraged liability for insufficient or un-
delivered credits to be enforced against
the credit generator, not entities that ac-
quire those credits for compliance.
And perhaps the two most important
“air ET” lessons:
• Use a fair yardstick to measure
“progress.” The proper yardstick for
“progress”compares trading to what the
Clean Water Act would produce in the
real world of source-specific variances,
repeated compliance extensions, poor-
ly quantified reductions, and partial
settlements. Nutrient trading should
not be measured by what a perfect
“command and control” nutrient pro-
gram might achieve, let alone one that
conforms precisely to often ambiguous
statutory parameters. The pertinent
question is: Progress compared to what?
• Saving affected sources money is not
trading’s goal. Improved environmental
results is the goal. Potential savings are
levers to secure better compliance, more
efficient programs, and faster environ-
The Chesapeake Bay Watershed
stretches approximately 524 lin-
ear miles from Cooperstown, New
York to Norfolk, Virginia. It includes
parts of six states — Delaware,
Maryland, New York, Pennsylva-
nia, Virginia and West Virginia —
and the entire District of Columbia,
comprising a total area of about
64,000 square miles. Representa-
tives of Maryland, Pennsylvania
and Virginia are members of the
tri-state legislative Chesapeake
Bay Commission, created in 1980
to halt further degradation and
coordinate long-term restoration of
the Bay. Representatives of other
affected states also participate.
See http://www.chesbay.us/.
Chesapeake Bay
Watershed
Point Source: A pipe or other discrete
conveyance from which pollutants are
discharged. Examples include outfalls
to navigable streams from wastewater
treatment plants and industrial facilities.
Nonpoint Source: Anything not con-
sidered a point source from which des-
ignated pollutants originate and directly
affect navigable streams. Examples in-
clude runoff from agricultural fields, ur-
ban centers and suburban landscapes.
What constitutes a “navigable stream”
sufficient to trigger Clean Water Act juris-
diction historically has been and contin-
ues to be a controversial issue. Relevant
links in online version of this article.
Point vs.
Nonpoint Source
3. 50 BioCycle June 2016
mental progress. If this requires, for ex-
ample, 140 percent trade ratios to mini-
mize nonpoint reduction uncertainties,
or having large credit purchasers such
as WWTPs and big industrial discharg-
ers like paper plants or refineries fund
independent third-party consultants
to monitor contracted reductions from
nonpoint sources, savings and progress
still can be achieved.
Many anaerobic digestion projects
which avoid nutrient runoff from feed-
stocks that otherwise would be land
applied or held in retention ponds,
may be able to realize long-term rev-
enues from nutrient credit sales, once
program changes in the Chesapeake
Bay’s judicially-approved TMDL reach
the 20 or so other states with nutrient
trading regimes.
Expanded nutrient trading credits,
combined with recent policy develop-
ments and a Supreme Court ruling (see
sidebar), may create a brighter scenario
than AD has seen for years. m
Michael Levin is managing member of
the virtual law firm Michael H. Levin
Law Group, PLLC (Washington DC) and
a principal in NLGC, LLC and Carbon
Finance Strategies LLC, which respec-
tively focus on capital formation for re-
newable energy projects and the optimi-
zation/development of ground-mounted
solar PV facilities. From 1979-1988 he
was national Regulatory Reform Director
at the U.S. EPA (Washington DC). David
Foster, a member of the Chesapeake Bay
Trading and Offsets Work Group, and
Richard Kashmanian in EPA’s Office of
Policy commented on earlier drafts of
these articles.
BIOCYCLE has covered the potential benefits to the an-
aerobic digestion industry from the EPA’s Clean Power
Plan (issued October 2015) and the recent 2-year extension of
federal tax credits for biomass (including AD) facilities (links in
online version of this article). Other converging developments
include:
• The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)’s
directive that large electric utilities fairly compensate gen-
erator demand-response capacity recently was upheld by a
substantial majority of the Supreme Court (FERC Order 745;
FERC v Electric Power Supply Assn., Jan. 25, 2016). This
decision likely will reinforce other FERC rulings enhancing
the potential value of selling capacity – not merely energy —
for baseload power generators like AD projects.
• Mutual Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reduction pledges by
over 180 countries in the recent Paris Accords (COP-21, Dec.
2015) not only oblige the U.S. to reduce its overall GHG emis-
sions by about 28 percent from 2005 levels by 2030, but are
estimated to require over $12 trillion in global renewable en-
ergy investment to reach the Accords’ threshold goal: hold-
ing worldwide temperature increases to less than 2°C above
preindustrial levels. These pledges apply not just to CO2
but
to all significant GHGs, including methane from landfills and
manure lagoons. They should encourage regulators to allow
emission reduction credits for AD projects that reduce or
avoid such emissions.
CPP + Tax Credits + FERC Ruling + COP 21 = AD Opportunity