Argus Launches New CSAPR Allowance Indexes

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Oct 06, 2011, 11:07 ET

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Global energy price reporting agency Argus has launched monthly indexes for emissions allowances created by the Environmental Protection Agency's Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) trading programs.

With these indexes, Argus now publishes assessments and indexes for all major US environmental markets and provides these markets with a settlement basis for forward allowance trading, swaps and fuel quality adjustments for sulfur dioxide (SO2) and ozone precursors. Argus already provides settlement indexes for other environmental markets, including Acid Rain Program SO2 allowances.

Argus began providing daily price assessments and market reporting on the CSAPR market on 26 August 2011. The September indexes are calculated, as are all other Argus Air Daily monthly indexes, by averaging the daily prices from each business day in the month. Argus is the leading price reporting agency in the emissions markets and has gained industry acceptance for use as a quality adjustment in many fuel markets. Coal markets in particular have used the Acid Rain Program SO2 monthly index as a quality adjustment mechanism for supply contracts. The new indexes provide data for these markets to incorporate, accounting for the new SO2 prices associated with Group 1 and Group 2 CSAPR trading programs.

"These new indexes add to Argus' leading coverage of US and world environmental markets," Argus Media chairman and chief executive Adrian Binks said. "We are excited to provide these monthly indexes and daily market coverage for trading under the new CSAPR program."

The new indexes are published in Argus Air Daily and associated data services in which Argus' clients can access prices for renewable energy certificates, greenhouse gas allowances and emissions allowances in key markets around the world.

For further information contact Tammy Tiedt in Houston at +1 713 429 6309, Seana Lanigan in London at +44 20 7780 4200, or email [email protected].

About Argus

Argus Media is a leading provider of price assessments, business intelligence and market data on the global crude, oil products, natural gas, electricity, coal, emissions, bioenergy, fertilizer and transportation industries. It is headquartered in London and has offices in Houston, Washington, New York, Portland, Calgary, Johannesburg, Dubai, Singapore, Tokyo, Beijing, Sydney, Moscow, Astana, Kiev, Santiago and other key centers of the energy industry. Argus was founded in 1970 and is a privately held UK-registered company. Learn more at www.argusmedia.com.