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Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Inventory
As part of its mission to protect human health and the environment, EPA considers the impact of its facilities and operations on the local community, as well as its effect on the planet. In order to better understand and manage its carbon footprint, the Agency has been working to quantify its annual GHG emissions and develop a comprehensive strategy for reducing them. Although federal mandates do not currently require specific quantitative GHG emissions reductions, EPA is taking a proactive approach to demonstrate leadership in this area.
In FY 2007, EPA’s GHG emissions resulting from energy consumption at the laboratories for which EPA is required to report and reduce its energy consumption were 127,305 metric tons of CO2 equivalent (MTCO2e), which constituted a reduction of more than 16,000 MTCO2e from an FY 2003 baseline. Having completed the inventory framework for EPA’s reporting facilities, the Agency now has the capability to expand its GHG inventory to account for emissions from EPA’s regional offices and all other EPA-occupied facilities, pending the availability of energy consumption data.
As a secondary step in the GHG emissions inventory development, EPA has begun to calculate mobile source (transportation-related) GHG emissions, and will continue to refine the mobile emissions component of its GHG inventory. Once the Agency’s comprehensive GHG emissions inventory is complete, EPA will be able to assess and prioritize strategies for further emission reductions.
In FY 2008, EPA instituted a quarterly GHG reporting effort to prepare senior managers for the climate change mitigation efforts of tomorrow, help facility managers target areas for improvement, and inform critical management decisions throughout the Agency.