Proposed Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule
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UPDATE –The Proposed Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule public comment period ended June 9, 2009. The comment period was open for 60 days, following publication of the proposed rule in the Federal Register, April 10, 2009. Late comments may still be submitted on the proposed rule; however, the Clean Air Act does not require that the Environmental Protection Agency consider comments submitted past the end of the official comment period June 9, 2009, when developing the final rule.
Background
In response to the FY2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 2764; Public Law 110–161), EPA has proposed a rule that requires mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from large sources in the United States.
The proposed rule would collect accurate and comprehensive emissions data to inform future policy decisions.
In general, EPA proposes that suppliers of fossil fuels or industrial greenhouse gases, manufacturers of vehicles and engines, and facilities that emit 25,000 metric tons or more per year of GHG emissions submit annual reports to EPA. The gases covered by the proposed rule are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), perfluorocarbons (PFC), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and other fluorinated gases including nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) and hydrofluorinated ethers (HFE).
You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, available as a free download, to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more about PDF, and for a link to the free Acrobat Reader.
The proposed rule was signed by the Administrator on March 10, 2009. On April 10, 2009. the proposed rule was published in the Federal Register (www.regulations.gov) under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0508:
- Preamble (PDF) (161 pp, 4.1MB, About PDF)
- Proposed Rule (PDF) (126 pp, 1.6MB, About PDF)
- Supporting Documents in the Docket
In addition, technical analyses developed in support of the proposed rule may be found here:
- Regulatory Impact Analysis (PDF) (260 pp, 5.9MB, About PDF)
- Technical Support Documents for the Proposed Rule
Submitting Comments on Proposed Rule
The Proposed Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule public comment period ended June 9, 2009. The comment period was open for 60 days, following publication of the proposed rule in the Federal Register, April 10, 2009. Late comments may still be submitted on the proposed rule; however, the Clean Air Act does not require that the Environmental Protection Agency consider comments submitted past the end of the official comment period June 9, 2009, when developing the final rule.
No Extension of the Comment Period:
Written Comments
Written comments on the proposed rule (Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0508) may be submitted using the following instructions:
- Instructions for submitting written comments (PDF) (2 pp, 16KB, About PDF).
When providing comments, please submit them with reference to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0508.
Public Hearings
Two public hearings were held for this proposal—on April 6 and 7, 2009 in Arlington, VA, and on April 16, 2009 in Sacramento, CA:
- Federal Register Notice of Public Hearings (PDF), (2 pp, 72.7KB, About PDF)
Resources
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Press Release
- Power point presentation providing a general overview of the Proposed Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule (PDF) (23 pp, 342KB, About PDF)
- General Fact Sheet for the Proposed Mandatory GHG Reporting Rule (PDF) (2 pp, 30.2KB, About PDF)
- Information Sheets for Each of the Source Categories Covered in the Proposed Rule
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Consolidated Appropriations Act (PDF) (613 pp, 1.42MB, About PDF). See page 285 for the appropriations language on mandatory GHG emissions reporting.
- Consolidated Appropriations Act, Conference Report (PDF) (230 pp., 1.02MB, About PDF). See page 1254 (page 94 of the PDF file) for an explanatory statement providing more detail on the GHG reporting rule.
Contact Us
For general questions about the proposed rule, fill out the electronic form on the Contact Us page. Additional information related to the proposed rule will be posted on this site as it becomes available. EPA is also operating a hotline for general and administrative questions about the proposal which can be accessed via phone at 1-877-GHG-1188 or through the Contact Us page.