Green Energy Credits, Carbon Offsets Due for Clearer Accounting

Airlines, manufacturers, and other companies that rely on trucking or freight increasingly turn to carbon offsets and renewable energy credits to blunt the impact of their emissions and meet green corporate targets.

The problem: Companies ranging from Pfizer Inc. to Charter Communications Inc. have told US accounting rulemakers they need clear rules on how to report these popular tools in their financial statements. One company could land on an accounting answer that creates a different earnings impact than a peer company using a similar credit. Meanwhile, solar companies, wind farms, and utilities that produce green energy and sell credits to ...