Proposed changes to GHG reporting rules

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing some changes to its rule requiring the reporting of greenhouse gas emissions from facilities with petroleum and natural gas systems. The rule, a component of a greenhouse gas reporting program mandated by Congress in 2008 and first implemented in 2009, requires reporting by facilities emitting more than an equivalent of 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. The idea is to gain insights into sources of greenhouse gases in the United States, to guide future emission reduction policies and programs, EPA says.

In the interests of improved data clarity, consistency and quality, EPA wants to revise some of the terminology and units of measure used in the reporting. The agency also wants to simplify some of the calculations used in the reporting, and make several other changes including an expanded use of site-specific gas composition data at certain types of natural gas handling facilities, and a clarification of how to deal with missing data.

EPA says that it is also proposing confidentiality determinations for new and substantially revised data resulting from the rule change, and for one existing data element involved in the reporting.

The agency requires comments on its proposed rule changes by April 24.

—Alan Bailey