Enhanced Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions Registry

On 14 February 2002, the President announced an initiative to enhance the accuracy, reliability, and verifiability of the voluntary greenhouse gas emissions reductions reporting program under section 1605(b) of the 1992 Energy Policy Act. To implement the President's directive, the Department of Energy (DOE) is leading an interagency process to develop revised guidelines.

Since the President’s 2002 announcement, we have issued a public Notice of Inquiry, established a website to distribute extensive background analyses and other information, and held four public workshops (the U.S. Department of Agriculture held two additional workshops). DOE has met with a wide range of companies, trade associations, emissions traders, environmental groups, State representatives, and international groups focusing on greenhouse gas emissions, and DOE received over 100 sets of public comments on revising the guidelines. In addition, a senior level interagency policy group -- led by DOE Under Secretary Robert Card -- met four times to decide on key policy issues. The revisions are currently undergoing Office of Management and Budget review. DOE hopes to release the proposed revised guidelines soon for a 60-day public comment period.

In subsequent months, we will be releasing, for public comment, extensive technical guidelines, which will provide the necessary rules for measuring and recording emissions and emission reductions. After the public comment period, DOE will review comments, make any needed revisions and publish the final revised guidelines in 2004 along with the accompanying technical guidelines.

The voluntary reporting program is a key element in the Administration’s efforts to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions intensity. DOE and its interagency partners are aiming to develop a reporting program that: increases accuracy by employing up-to-date accounting rules; improves reliability by providing more consistent rules for recording emissions and reductions; and ensures verifiability by creating a more transparent database.

For more information, please visit our greenhouse gas emissions reduction web site at:
http://www.pi.energy.gov/enhancingGHGregistry/index.html