Many companies are relying on relying on carbon offsets to meet their decarbonization plans. The regulatory treatment of carbon offsets and the penalties or incentives applied to emissions performance is therefore critical to companies and to the fight against climate change overall. This session will address some key regulatory concerns with respect to the utilities sector, such as:

· Are customers getting what they are paying for, i.e., are carbon offsets additive, measurable and verifiable? What is the industry doing to examine the quality of offsets ?

· What is the relationship of carbon offsets to a carbon tax?

· What role do offset play in the utilities sector or in the natural gas sector?

· What needs to be done for regulated utilities to rely on a forward market for offsets?