Washington state has held its first carbon-allowance auction, marking a major step forward for a program that will limit greenhouse gas emissions, and incentivize businesses to curb their carbon pollution. The cap-and-invest program was established under the Climate Commitment Act, which became law in 2021, and sets a state limit on greenhouse gas emissions. Any business emitting more than 25,000 metric tons of CO2 annually must buy emissions allowances at state auctions. The number of allowances will be limited each year, and the cap will be lowered each year, encouraging companies to cut pollution. The revenue from the auctions is projected to be approximately $1 billion annually, and will be used on efforts to advance clean energy projects and climate-adaptation measures. The law also requires at least 35% of the revenue from the cap-and-invest program to go towards communities disproportionately affected by climate pollution. Experts say that it is unlikely that similar programs will be adopted widely across the US any time soon due to political difficulties. In January, New York announced that it would join Washington, California, and Oregon, which use similar cap-and-trade programs. Washington’s program is being praised for its focus on reducing both global climate pollution and local air pollution, making it the “gold standard for climate policy”.
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Vistech has been awarded triple gold by the National Security Inspectorate for its outstanding security measures.
Vistech Services, a security company based in Middlesbrough, has achieved three gold standard certifications from the National Security Inspectorate (NSI)....
