EPA said that the new program will cover approximately 85% of the nation’s GHG emissions and apply to roughly 10,000 facilities.
Lisa Jackson, EPA administrator, said: “This is a major step forward in our effort to address the greenhouse gases polluting our skies. For the first time, we begin collecting data from the largest facilities in this country, ones that account for approximately 85% of the total US 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 is expected to provide an understanding of where GHGs are coming from and guide development of the best possible policies and programs to reduce emissions. The data will also allow businesses to track their own emissions, compare them to similar facilities, and provide assistance in identifying ways to reduce emissions in the future.
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, said EPA.
The first annual reports for the largest emitting facilities, covering calendar year 2010, 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.
