Federal Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rules

Most Recent Action

The first data reported under that rule has now been released to the public in an easy to use database. The EPA’s online data publication tool allows users to view and sort GHG data for calendar year 2010, the first year data was collected under the mandatory rule, from over 6,700 facilities in a variety of ways—including by facility, location, industrial sector, and the type of GHG emitted. For example, the data set includes information on 136 GHG emitters in the state of Wisconsin.

Background

The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule requires annual reporting to the EPA of greenhouse gas emissions from large sources and suppliers in the United States.

Reports are required of fossil fuel suppliers and industrial gas suppliers, manufacturers of vehicles and engines outside of the light-duty sector, and certain downstream facilities that emit greenhouse gases (primarily large facilities emitting 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent or more of GHG emissions per year). The GHG’s included in the report are the anthropogenic GHG emissions covered under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), perfluorochemicals (PFC), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), as well as other fluorinated gases (e.g., nitrogen trifluoride and hydrofluorinated ethers).

The EPA’s GHG reporting system will provide a better understanding of where GHGs are coming from, and will guide future policy decisions. The data will also allow businesses to track their own emissions, compare them to similar facilities, and provide assistance in identifying cost effective ways to reduce emissions in the future. These GHG reporting rules are generally the first steps toward implementing GHG emissions limits and related climate change regulations.

The reported data, starting with the year 2010, is available to the public on the EPA’s online data publication tool. The online tool allows users to view and sort GHG data from over 6,700 facilities in a variety of ways—including by facility, location, industrial sector, and the type of GHG emitted. The data set includes information on 136 GHG emitters in the state of Wisconsin.

Authority

H.R. 2764; Public Law 110–161, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008

Implementation

The EPA has issued a rule that will allow certain entities subject to the reporting rule to defer reporting certain inputs to emission equations until March 31, 2013 or March 31, 2015. The rule applies to data elements that industry commenters regarded as commercially sensitive because they could reveal trade secrets or other confidential information. According to the EPA, the deferred reporting deadline will allow the agency to evaluate which data elements should be designated as confidential business information on a more permanent basis.

Additional Information
Data Available to the Public
Delay of certain reports until 2013 or 2015
Special Provisions for 2011
EPA Supporting Documents
Mandatory GHG Reporting Rule: Overview
EPA – General Fact Sheet
Information Sheets for Each of the Source Categories Covered in the Rule
Resources Available for Each of the Source Categories Covered in the Rule
EPA – Frequently Asked Questions
Special Provisions for 2010
EPA – Fact Sheet for the various revisions to the rule
EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program Website