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1 1 (March 20, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govekyj0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Informing sona! Researet, Service heled Ilive debato since 1914 Updated March 20, 2023 EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) requires certain facilities to report their emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). In addition, the GHGRP requires suppliers of specific products, such as natural gas and petroleum, to report the GHG emissions that would ultimately result from the use of their products. Since 2011, the GHGRP has collected annual emissions data from nearly 8,000 large industrial facilities and other sources in the United States. According to EPA, 85%-90% of annual man-made U.S. GHG emissions have been reported under the program. G HG RP Authorities and Purpose The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (P.L. 110-161) provided $3.5 million for EPA to develop and publish a rule that would require mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas emissions above appropriate thresholds in all sectors of the economy of the United States. In the accompanying joint explanatory statement, Congress directed EPA to use its existing authority under the Clean Air Act to promulgate this rule, and stated that EPA shall have discretion to use existing reporting requirements for electric generating units under Section 821 of the Clean Air Act. In its initial 2009 GHGRP rulemaking, EPA also cited Clean Air Act (CAA) Sections 114 and 208 as providing broad authority to require the information mandated by the reporting rule. The GHGRP requires reporting from facilities in nearly all categories of direct emissions sources and from suppliers of certain fuels and industrial GHGs in the United States, but does not impose emissions limits. The broad scope of emissions data collected from these sources allows the agency to assess trends in emissions over time and within industry sectors for use in agency policy and programs. For example, EPA uses the data in evaluating and implementing GHG mitigation policies, including CAA New Source Performance Standards and CAA voluntary GHG reduction programs, among others. EPA states that the GHGRP is one part of the overall U.S. effort to address climate change, alongside other federal and state GHG emissions-related programs. In addition, EPA uses the facility-level GHGRP data to help prepare the agency's annual Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, which is submitted to the United Nations in accordance with the Framework Convention on Climate Change. Greenhouse Gas Reporting Regulations In response to Congress's directive, EPA released a final rule, Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases, which went into effect on December 29, 2009. The regulations established in the rule require designated GHG source facilities and specific product suppliers to report annual GHG emissions and follow monitoring, verification, and recordkeeping requirements. EPA subsequently revised the 2009 rule to add technical requirements and new categories of sources covered by the regulations. For example, in 2010, EPA established two new GHGRP source categories for facilities that inject carbon dioxide (CO2) into underground formations. In total, EPA has established 46 GHG source categories across a wide range of economic sectors. Subpart A of the Mandatory Reporting Rule (codified in 40 C.F.R Part 98) establishes general GHGRP reporting requirements that apply to all covered facilities. In Subparts B-UU, EPA has established separate requirements for most GHG source categories based on the specific characteristics of those sources. Each of these subparts contains a methodology to be used to calculate total annual GHG emissions for that source category, as well as tailored requirements for monitoring, quality assurance, accounting for missing data, recordkeeping, and reporting. For a few source categories, such as motor vehicle manufacturers and motor vehicle engine manufacturers, the 2009 rule added new requirements to existing emissions reporting and monitoring regulations. Facilities Required to Report GHGRP regulations generally apply to: (1) direct GHG emissions sources that emit at least 25,000 metric tons of CO2-equivalent (CO2e, the amount of CO2 emissions with the same global warming potential as the number of metric tons of another GHG) per year; (2) fuel and industrial gas suppliers; and (3) facilities with underground CO2 injection wells. Direct emission sources include stationary fuel combustion facilities and industrial and chemical production facilities. Some facilities are covered regardless of whether they emit 25,000 metric tons of CO2e or more per year, such as electricity generation facilities; facilities engaged in aluminum production, ammonia manufacturing, and cement production; and some municipal solid waste landfills. Suppliers covered by the regulations include suppliers of coal and natural gas, suppliers of petroleum products, and suppliers of CO2 and other industrial GHGs. CO2 injection facilities include facilities with wells used to inject CO2 for enhanced oil recovery and for permanent storage through geologic sequestration. Some facilities have multiple GHG sources and source categories and must report emissions for all of these sources. E missions Required to be Reported The GHGRP regulations require facilities to report two types of GHG emissions: (1) combustion emissions resulting from burning fossil fuels or biomass (such as wood or landfill gas); and (2) emissions from industrial processes, such as those that occur as a result of

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