On January 1, 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will, for the first time, require facilities that emit heat-trapping emissions tobegin collecting greenhouse gas (GHG) data. This new program will establish a new reporting data retrieval system and cover approximately 85 percent of the nation’s GHG emissions and apply to roughly 10,000 facilities.
This is a major step forward in our effort to address the greenhouse gases polluting our skies,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “For the first time, we begin collecting data from the largest facilities in this country, ones that account for approximately 85 percent of the total U.S. emissions. The American public, and industry itself, will finally gain critically important knowledge and with this information we can determine how best to reduce those emissions.”
EPA’s new reporting system will zero in on GHGs emissions. Access to this data will assist the Agency in developing potential best management practices and policies and programs to reduce GHG emissions. The data will also allow businesses and facilities to track their own emissions. With this information companies may compare their emissions to similar facilities. Hopefully, having this data will allow businesses to identify cost effective ways to reduce emissions in the future.
Greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, are usually produced by burning fossil fuels and through industrial processes. Fossil fuel and industrial GHG suppliers, motor vehicle and engine manufacturers, and facilities that emit 25,000 metric tons or more of CO2 equivalent per year will be required to report GHG emissions data to EPA annually. This threshold is equivalent to about the annual GHG emissions from 4,600 passenger vehicles in a given year.
The first annual reports for the largest emitting facilities will cover calendar year 2010. The GHG emissions from these facilities will be submitted to EPA in 2011. Vehicle and engine manufacturers outside of the light-duty sector will begin phasing in GHG reporting with model year 2011. Some source categories included in the proposed rule are still under review.
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