Issue 6 - May 2009
Emissions Trading Scheme
ETS Review
The Select Committee established to review the Emissions Trading Scheme has finished hearing submissions and will report back to Parliament late this month or early in June.
The review may result in changes to current legislation, which is still in force until amended by Parliament.
Post-1989 forest land
Participant Registration Applications
- MAF has received 174 ETS participant registration applications covering 52,581 hectares of post-1989 forest land.
- Verification of eligibility has been completed on 95 applicants who have been registered as participants. The Participant Register is available here: https://www.eur.govt.nz/eats/nz/docs/ETS_Participant_Register.pdf
- As at May 6 2009, 79 applications are still being verified with many of these waiting for additional information from land owners.
Emissions Returns
- MAF received 45 eligible emissions returns, claiming 692,583 NZUs.
- 687,000 NZUs have already been transferred into participants holding accounts over the past four weeks.
- The timeframe for submitting an emissions return in 2009 has now passed. However, registered participants will be able to submit an emissions return during the first quarter of 2010 and claim any NZUs to which they were entitled back to 1 January 2008.
Pre-1990 forest land
Participant (Deforestation) Notifications
- Three mandatory participants have notified that they undertook deforestation during 2008/09 and have been registered. The Participant Register is available here: https://www.eur.govt.nz/eats/nz/docs/ETS_Participant_Register.pdf
- These participants are required to submit an emissions return during the first quarter of 2010 specifying the area deforested and quantifying the number of emissions units they are obliged to surrender. Those units must be surrendered by 30 April 2010.
Forestry Allocation Plan
The issue of a Forestry Allocation Plan (FAP) is subject to probable delay.
- Submissions on the draft FAP closed on April 30. MAF now has to analyse the submissions and brief ministers on them. This could result in changes to the FAP compared with the draft that was consulted on.
- This process will take some weeks. MAF expects that the timeframe for issuing a final FAP will be clearer in early June.
- Applications for an allocation of units cannot be made until the FAP is issued.
<50 hectare Exemptions
The delay in issuing a Forestry Allocation Plan (FAP) affects who can currently apply for <50 hectare exemptions.
- The only people eligible to apply for a <50ha exemption at present are those who have already deforested. No-one else is eligible to apply until a FAP is issued.
- In February, the Government signalled its intention to push out the closing date of 30 June 2009 for <50ha exemptions.
- There is no intention to leave foresters with insufficient time to consider whether to apply for an allocation or a <50 hectare exemption. The legislation provides a mechanism to grant extensions to the date by which <50 hectare exemption applications can be made.
Afforestation Grant Scheme
- MAF has given out $2.96m in AGS grants over two rounds so far, with a third round to be allocated this year.
- In 2009 and 2010, AGS projects will create 1429 hectares of new forest at an average price of $2029 per hectare for tree species that absorb carbon quickly and $625 per hectare for species that absorb carbon slowly.
- 26 projects have been funded in the Waikato, Gisborne, Manawatu, Wellington, Marlborough, Canterbury and Otago regions.
- More than 60 tenders have been received for the third round, which closed on 30 April 2009
Permanent Forest Sink Initiative
- PFSI forest applications to date cover 4,700ha of forest (2,900ha indigenous; 1800ha exotic)
- Ten applications have been approved with another 10 being processed.
- 2089 assigned amount units (AAUs) have been transferred to participants.
More information
Information on joining the ETS, guides and application forms are available at www.maf.govt.nz/sustainable-forestry/ or by calling 0800 CLIMATE.
Further Sustainable Forestry Bulletins will be issued updating forestry programmes.
Help us keep you informed
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Contact for Enquiries
Emissions Trading Scheme
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
PO Box 1127
Wellington
Or call us on 0800 CLIMATE (254 628)
