ACR Announces Public Comment Period for ACR Standard v8.0

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, May 1, 2023 – ACR, a nonprofit enterprise of Winrock International, announces an open public comment period for updates to the ACR Standard, which details ACR’s requirements and specifications for the quantification, monitoring, reporting, verification, registration and issuance of project-based GHG emission reductions and removals as carbon credits.

Proposed updates to the ACR Standard from version 7.0, published December 2020, to version 8.0 were previously posted for public comment in November 2021. This May 2023 public comment version reflects ACR’s responses to the first round of public comments as well as additional programmatic clarifications.

Key updates include codifying ACR’s existing scope exclusion for projects that displace one type of fossil fuel to another type of fossil fuel and projects that lock-in long-term GHG emissions; clarifying requirements to use ACR templates for key project document submissions; detailing the specification of environmental and social risk assessment requirements and the use of ACR tools and templates; and significantly enhancing the Complaints and Appeals process to detail the scope of complaints, the stepwise process for evaluation, investigation and resolution including timelines, and the requirements and process for appeals.

A detailed summary of changes is provided on the ACR website.

Please submit written comments to ACR@winrock.org with the subject line “ACR 8.0 Public Comments” by June 2, 2023.

ACR Standard 8.0 will go into effect July 1, 2023.