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7/30/2009
Mandatory 'Greenhouse Gas Reporting' approved by EPA |
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A new rule proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will require thousands of US facilities that generate greenhouse gases to inventory and report their emissions. The rule make reporting of greenhouse gases mandatory for approximately 13,000 facilities beginning in 2011. Data for the initial reporting in 2011 will be gathered in 2010. EPA estimates that these facilities and industries are responsible for 90 percent of all greenhouse gas emission in the US.
The main objective of this new rule is to create an informational baseline for a future cap -and-trade program. Although this rule itself does not impose any limitations on facilities emissions, it is the first step toward a national emission reduction scheme. The proposed rule would apply broadly across a wide variety of business sectors, including electricity generation, transportation, industrial, and agriculture (manure management).
The reporting requirements will generally be triggered for facilities emitting more than 25,000 metric tons of C02 equivalent greenhouse gases per year. Facilities will be required to use specified protocols, depending on the sector, for direct measurement and/or facility specific calculations. EPA has identified itself as the verifier of reported emissions data (as opposed to relying on third party verifiers) in order to promote confidence in the data and to form a basis for enforcement action for noncompliance.
For more information on the rule, visit the EPA's website at www.epa.gov/climatechange/policy or contact Carole Cook, Climate Change Division, Office of Atmospheric Programs, (202) 343-9263.
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