FTC to Review Offsets, Energy Credits

The Federal Trade Commission is investigating the practices of selling carbon offsets and renewable energy credits, according to the Washington Post.

The FTC hasn't reviewed this area in nearly a decade, when the business of paying to reduce your carbon footprint hadn't really started.

The FTC is having a workshop on January 8th, the first step in a process to recommend guidelines on what companies should do and say regarding carbon offsets. Getting consensus on what is a carbon offset or REC and how it should be advertised is important to weed out those who are playing fast and loose with the terms and to increase consumer confidence.