Thursday, 1st October 2026

Verra

Verra will broaden eligibility for its project review prioritization pilot from October 14, 2026, allowing more carbon projects to have review requests moved to a priority queue so reviews can be initiated sooner. Until now, the pilot was available only to projects submitting a second or subsequent verification approval request.

Starting October 14, projects submitting approval requests for registration, verification of any instance, or registration and verification will also be eligible to participate. Verra is also introducing changes designed to reduce barriers to participation and streamline the processes supporting prioritization requests.

For natural climate solutions (NCS) projects, the number of projects that can request to join the prioritization pilot at any given time will be limited. Verra said this change will allow it to manage its capacity for processing and fulfilling prioritization requests. Verra is also establishing a dedicated point of contact for prioritization requests to support prompt communication and efficient processing of requests.

The prioritization pilot has separate fees for participation. These include a prioritization fee based on the volume of anticipated issuance and a deposit toward the issuance fee. From October 14, the prioritization fee for registration requests will be $20,000 for VCS and CCBS projects and $25,000 for joint VCS-CCBS projects. For verification requests, the fee will be $15,000 for VCS and CCBS projects and $20,000 for joint VCS-CCBS projects.

For projects requesting registration and verification together, the prioritization fee will be $25,000 for VCS and CCBS projects and $30,000 for joint VCS-CCBS projects. The required deposit toward the anticipated issuance fee is 50% of the anticipated issuance fee, or $50,000, whichever is less, for both NCS/CCBS projects and energy and industry projects.

These fees will apply during the pilot through March 2027 and may be adjusted after that. Verra first launched the project review prioritization pilot in late November 2025 for second and subsequent verification approval requests. Experience with the initiative has validated stakeholder demand for the option and demonstrated the need to make it more widely available.

Verra said revenue generated through prioritization fees is being reinvested directly into its review system and other areas dedicated to reducing processing times for all projects, rather than only projects participating in the pilot. This expansion therefore broadens access to the priority review option while supporting efforts to reduce processing times across the review system.

For projects that may be eligible, the process to join the pilot begins through the Project Tracker. A “Request Prioritization” box will appear in the proponent’s Project Tracker list when a project is potentially eligible. Clicking the box initiates the request process.

The expanded pilot provides eligible projects with access to priority review for registration, verification, or combined registration and verification requests, alongside updated participation fees, a dedicated point of contact and capacity limits for NCS projects.