The Energy Information Administration (EIA) is pleased to announce the launch of the eighth reporting cycle of the Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program and, with it, updated software. We mailed out the updated paper forms that will accept data through 2001 earlier this month and we have just mailed out our CD-ROM, the Electronic Form for Data Through 2001 and 2000 Public Use Database. In addition to the reporting software, the CD-ROM includes the 2000 Public Use Database with all non-confidential reports received by the Program to date, a querying tool for developing custom queries of the information in the database, and a library of documents and reporting tools. Among these reporting tools is an updated version of our recycling worksheet (see article below). Most of the materials on the CD-ROM, including the reporting software and electronic copies of the paper forms, are now available on our web site at http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/1605/frntvrgg.html.

If you need technical assistance in preparing your Form EIA-1605 or EIA-1605EZ, have any questions, or do not receive forms or a CD-ROM by the beginning of May, please give us a call. Our Communications Center is open Monday through Friday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time) and can be reached toll free at 1-800-803-5182 or by email at infoghg@eia.doe.gov.

North Carolina Leads Surge in Reporting by Industry

Reports received from the industrial sector increased by 52 percent last year, rising from 41 for the 1999 data year to 64 for 2000. Twenty-three of these reports were submitted by North Carolina companies participating in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (U.S. EPA's) Climate Wise Program.

We owe this increase primarily to the efforts of a team led by Jim Haven with the Industrial Extension Service (IES) at North Carolina State University (NCSU). NCSU-IES coordinates various state and federal outreach efforts aimed at improving energy efficiency, eliminating waste and pollution, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions while increasing company profits.

In addition to Climate Wise and its successor program, ENERGY STAR, NCSU-IES also assists companies in securing access to educational, technical, and financial assistance offered by programs such as U.S. DOE's Industries of the Future and U.S. EPA's Waste Wise, and state agencies, including the State Energy Office of the NC Department of Administration and the Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance of the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

IES helps to identify innovative and effective techniques to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to disseminate information about these best practices to companies throughout North Carolina.

For each company participating, NCSU-IES:

 ·   Provides assistance in measuring, tracking, and benchmarking energy performance using ENERGY STAR tools such as Portfolio Manager;
 ·   Develops a plan to improve energy performance; and
 ·   Prepares a report on Form EIA-1605, including baseline emissions and reductions achieved against either an absolute (basic) reference
     case or a "unit-of-production" (modified) reference case that has been adjusted to reflect changing production.

With the assistance of NCSU-IES, the following North Carolina companies submitted reports to the Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program for 2000:

·   Ajinomoto USA, Inc.  ·   Austin Quality Foods, Inc.  ·   Azdel, Inc.  ·   Baxter Healthcare Inc.  ·   Cargill, Inc. - Oil Seeds Division  ·   CommScope  ·   Danaher Controls  ·   Doxey Furniture Corporation  ·   Hanes Dye and Finishing  ·   Highland Industries, Inc.  ·   Litton Poly-Scientific Clifton Precision  ·   M.J. Soffe Company

·   Mallinckrodt, Inc.  ·   Maple Springs Laundry  ·   Miller Brewing Company  ·   National Spinning Co., Inc.  ·   Pak-Lite, Inc. - Mebane Plant  ·   Penn Compression Moulding, Inc.  ·   Siemens Power Transmission & Distribution, Inc.  ·   The Virkler Company  ·   Valdese Manufacturing Company  ·   World Wood Co.  ·   Wyeth-Lederle Vaccines

Already, fifteen of these 23 companies were able to report emission reductions for 2000 that totaled over 223,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). Collectively, these 15 companies reduced their emissions by 9 percent. Well done North Carolina!

Early Bird Reporters The first 2001 data reports are in! Special recognition for filing this year's first reports goes to: Allergan, LLC Bethlehem Steel Corporation Catawba Landfill Gas, LLC Drummond Company, Inc. Greene Energy LLC Nebraska Public Power District Springs Industries, Inc. Shrewsbury Electric Light Plant Steuben Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc We encourage you all to follow suit and send your reports in before the June 1 deadline! EPA's WARM Just Got Hotter! The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (U.S. EPA's) Office of Solid Waste has made available a new version of the WAste Reduction Model (WARM) customized for participants in the Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program. This Microsoft Excel spreadsheet model is included on our CD-ROM and can also be downloaded from our web site at www.eia.gov/oiaf/1605/techassist.html#wrksht. It allows users to compare the greenhouse gas consequences of various solid waste management options, including landfilling, recycling, source reduction, composting, and waste-to-energy. This year U.S. EPA has revised the emission coefficients and expanded the model to cover a wider range of materials. WARM produces emission rates for carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and PFCs that can be converted to annual emission reductions of these gases by using another Microsoft Excel spreadsheet model, the WARM Companion, also available on our CD-ROM or from our web site (see address above). Recycling Worksheet Updated If your project involves the recycling, source reduction, or composting of materials that otherwise would have been landfilled, then you can estimate the reductions in one easy step by using the Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program's updated and improved Recycling, Source Reduction, and Composting Workbook. This Microsoft Excel spreadsheet application, which automatically calculates emission reductions from the amounts of materials processed, is available on our CD-ROM and from our web site at www.eia.gov/oiaf/1605/techassist.html#wrksht.

EZ Reporters Can Now Report Via the Internet! In addition to using the newly updated electronic form available on CD-ROM or from our Web site, EZ reporters will also have the option of using the new Internet browser-based Form EIA-1605EZ. We hope to have an Internet version of the Long Form available at some time in the future, but for now, EZ reporters can go to https://idc.eia.doe.gov/ghgez/Login.jsp, or follow the link from our home page, under Reporting Forms to avoid typing in that URL. Before starting, you will need to obtain a UserID and Password to use this on-line reporting form by contacting us at 1-800-803-5182 or infoghg@eia.doe.gov. Reporters who filed EZ reports last year will be mailed a UserID and Password automatically. Generate On-Line Reports from the Public Use Database With the release of the 2000 Public Use Database, EIA is pleased to announce the addition of a new feature that will soon allow users to access selected data output reports online. This feature will automatically connect the user's browser to EIA's online database and allow the user to view and extract selected data. Five initial reports, corresponding to Tables 1-4 and 11 in Appendix B of this year's annual report, will be available. The user will be able to run these reports for any year of data submissions (1994-2000). The reports will also allow the user to select the format of the output. To simply view the data, HTML, a common web format, is recommended. To print the data out for future reference, we suggest selecting PDF format, which is compatible with Adobe Acrobat Reader. To allow manipulation the data, the reports can exported to a comma delimited file, which can be imported into a spreadsheet application, such as MS Excel. This system will be operational as soon as server space for the database has been secured. To access these reports from the Program's software, select File|Open|Report Subsystem from the Main Menu, which will open your browser at the home page for the Report Subsystem. Alternately, you can visit the following site directly: http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/1605/reports.html. Use Final GHG Files! In preparing your 2001 report, be sure you update the final version of your most recent submission by using the *.ghg files from the CD-ROM or our web site (ftp://ftp.eia.doe.gov/pub/oiaf/1605/cdrom/ghgfiles) rather than a file left over from last year, which may not include all of the revisions made.

2000 Reporting Illustrates Potential of Materials Management Our annual report summarizes emission reduction and sequestration activities by broad categories that correspond to the sources of emissions affected. This approach highlights, in particular, the effects that electric power and energy end use have on carbon dioxide emissions. However, it obscures the contribution of activities involving the management of various materials because these activities affect a great range of emission sources and greenhouse gases. As the figure to the right illustrates, the reporting of materials management activities has increased nearly fivefold since the Program's first year. Materials management includes the following types of activities: The use of biomass fuels, such as wood waste, which reduces emissions by displacing fossil fuels. Avoidance of methane emissions resulting from the decay of waste materials in landfills, wastewater treatment plants, and other waste management systems. These activities include the recovery of methane from landfills and anaerobic digesters treating municipal sewage or agricultural wastes (including animal manure). The recovered methane can be flared or recovered for energy. This category also includes municipal waste-to-energy systems that divert municipal solid waste from landfills, thus reducing methane emissions. Where the methane is recovered for energy, methane avoidance activities also reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by displacing consumption of fossil fuels. Recycling of halogenated substances, such as sulfur hexafluoride, HFCs, CFCs, and HCFCs. Recycling and source reduction of solid waste. These activities reduce emissions of methane by diverting waste from municipal landfills. Recycling also reduces emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases associated with the production of virgin materials displaced by the materials recycled. Reuse of coal ash as a substitute for Portland cement in concrete. This reduces carbon dioxide emissions associated with the manufacture of the displaced Portland cement. Landfill gas recovery accounted for most (63 percent) of the 345 projects reported for 2000. In addition to the 18 other methane emission avoidance projects, other materials management projects reported included coal ash reuse (46), recycling and source reduction of solid waste (34), recycling of halogenated substances (17), and biomass burning (9). The emission reductions reported for materials management projects are shown in the table below. For 2000, reported net reductions in direct emissions were 19.6 million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2E), which represented 10 percent of total direct reductions reported. Reported total indirect reductions totaled 42.5 MMTCO2E, representing 70 percent of the reductions reported for 2000. Reductions reported on Form EIA- 1605EZ, which does not distinguish between direct and indirect reductions, exceeded 5 MMTCO2E or 41 percent of total reductions reported on Form EIA-1605EZ.

For More Information About Voluntary Reporting... Voice: 1-800-803-5182 or 202-586-0688 Fax: (202) 586-3045 E-mail: infoghg@eia.doe.gov Internet: http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/1605/frntvrgg.html FTP: ftp://ftp.eia.doe.gov/pub/oiaf/1605/cdrom/ Mailing Address: Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program, U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, EI-81 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20585.