1998 Reporting Cycle Closes on July 1

The closing date for certified reports to be included in the 1998 Public Use Database is July 1, 1998. If you expect to have difficulty filing by this date, please notify the Communications Center at 1-800-803-5182 or send an e-mail message to infoghg@eia.doe.gov.

If you have not received your 1998 forms or software, please contact the Communications Center immediately. Alternatively, if you have access to the Internet, you may download the software and the paper copies of the forms from the Program's FTP (File Transfer Protocol) site at: ftp://ftp.eia.doe.gov/pub/oiaf/1605/ cdrom. New users of the FTP site should consider starting with our FTP Help page at http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/1605/ ftphlp.html. We strongly recommend that all users begin their visit to the FTP site with the read1605.txt file, which contains documentation and instructions for accessing the necessary files.

The site also contains PDF (Portable Document Format) files of other program materials, such as the Guidelines and Supporting Documents, the first two annual reports, copies of the paper reporting forms, and a worksheet to assist reporters in calculating carbon sequestration achieved by urban tree-planting projects.

The July 1 closing date will allow for more timely dissemination of the greenhouse gas emission and emission reduction information reported to the program in 1998. This deadlline should enable EIA to release the Public Use Database containing reports of activities occurring through 1997 before the end of the year.

Because of the shorter than usual time between the close of the 1997 reporting cycle on December 8, 1997 and the close of the current one, EIA is publishing this special edition of The Greenhouse Gas Volunteer with a brief overview of the reports received in 1997 instead of a formal annual report. EIA has posted more detailed information on our World Wide Web page, including comprehensive lists of the individual participants and projects reported. If you are interested in viewing or downloading this information, visit our web site at: http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/1605/1996/overview.html.

The results of the 1998 reporting cycle will be documented in a formal annual report scheduled to be issued by the end of the year.

This scrutiny of the reports submitted to the program is likely to intensify as policymakers debate strategies for meeting the U.S. emission reduction commitments under the Kyoto Protocol negotiated in December 1997. For this reason, we wish to re-emphazise the importance of including the data and descriptions of estimation methods that fully support the emission reduction quantities claimed. We appreciate your patience and cooperation when our analysts contact you with suggestions for improving estimation methods and enhancing the clarity of your reports.

Worksheet for Calculating Emission Reductions from Source Reduction and Recycling Now Available

• Newspaper
• Mixed Paper (recycling only)
• HDPE Plastic
• Office Paper
• Aluminum Cans
• LDPE Plastic
• Steel Cans
• Corrugated Cardboard
• PET Plastic

Australia initiated the Greenhouse Challenge program in 1995 as part of its National Greenhouse Response Strategy. This flexible program allows participants to devise their own emission reduction schemes while the government provides technical and promotional support. The government has allocated A$9.7 million over four years for this initiative and estimates greenhouse gas emission reductions of 115.5 million metric tons of CO2-equivalent by 2000. The program is administered by the newly created Australian Greenhouse Office.

The companies and other entities joining the Greenhouse Challenge Program are expected to negotiate cooperative agreements committing them to preparing emissions inventories, developing action plans to reduce emissions, and estimating expected emission reductions. To date, 256 entities have joined the program, 101 of which have signed cooperative agreements. The Program's goal is to sign cooperative agreements with 500 entities by 2000 and 1000 by 2005.

Canada established the Voluntary Challenge Registry in 1994 as a key component of its National Action Program on Climate Change to encourage private and public sector organizations to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Over 700 entities have registered, 364 of which have submitted action plans and 122 of which have submitted progress reports. Reporters are asked to submit a letter of intent outlining their commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, identifying activities, and establishing broad goals; an action plan that details prospective net emissions reductions; and a progress report stating the results of these activities. Earlier this year, the program was privatized with industry assuming two-thirds of the funding responsibility and the federal and provincial governments assuming the remaining third. In addition, reporters to the Registry have the opportunity to gain practical experience in emissions trading through the newly established Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Trading pilot program (GERT), a test market for industry, governments, and other organizations for buying and selling emission reductions.

For more information, access the following web pages: http://www.dpie.gov.au/resources.energy/environment/ greenhouse/challenge.html for Australia, and http://www.vcr-mvr.ca/home_e.cfm for Canada.

Note: American companies reporting to either of these programs may also report their foreign activities to the Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program.