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The GHG Reporting Program includes data from facilities that emit 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year as well as suppliers of certain fossil fuels and industrial gases. It does not include emissions from agriculture, land use, or direct emissions from sources that have annual emissions of less than 25,000 metric tons of CO2e. It also does not include sinks of GHGs. Applicable facilities must report annually.
How does EPA review the data for accuracy?
EPA has a multi-step data verification process. First, the EPA data entry tool (e-GGRT) used by facilities conducts data checks and provides feedback to reporters during the data entry phase. This occurs even before the data is submitted to EPA. Second, once the data has been submitted, EPA conducts a variety of automated data checks that include ensuring that reports are internally consistent, checking the data against expected ranges for similar facilities and industries, and statistical analysis. Based on the results of the automated checks EPA conducts a staff review of the reported data. EPA then follows up with facilities to resolve any mistakes that may have occurred.
What industry groups reported
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Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions data?
EPA received GHG emissions information from the following industry groups:
- Power Plants
- Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems
- Petroleum Refineries
- Chemicals Manufacturing
- Waste FacilitiesLandfills
- Metals Manufacturing
- Mineral ProductionPetroleum Refineries
- Pulp and Paper Manufacturing
- Chemicals Manufacturing
- Government and Commercial Facilities
- Other Industrial Facilities
What
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source categories began reporting for the first time in Reporting Year 2011?
The following source categories were required to EPA is adding reporting requirements for the following industry groups who will report 2011 GHG data to EPA for the first time in September 2012:
- Electronics manufacturing
- Fluorinated gas production
- Magnesium production
- Petroleum and natural gas systems
- Use of electric transmission and distribution equipment
- Underground coal mines
- Industrial wastewater treatment
- Geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide
- Manufacture of electric transmission and distribution
- Industrial waste landfills
- Underground injection of carbon dioxide
- Imports and exports of equipment pre-charged with fluorinated greenhouse gases or containing fluorinated greenhouse gases in closed-cell foams
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- "Direct emitters" are facilities that combust fuels or otherwise put GHGs into the atmosphere directly from their facility. An example of this is a power plant that burns coal or natural gas and emits carbon dioxide directly into the atmosphere. EPA estimates that the 2010 data on emissions reported by direct emitters covers about half of total U.S. emissions.
- "Suppliers" are those entities that supply products into the economy which if combusted, released or oxidized emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These fuels and industrial gases are not emitted from the supplier facility but instead distributed throughout the country and used. An example of this is gasoline, which is sold in the U.S. and primarily burned in cars throughout the country. The majority of GHG emissions associated with the transportation, residential and commercial sectors are accounted for by these suppliers.
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The Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks (Inventory) is a national assessment of total GHG emissions from man-made sources in the U.S. This annual report fulfills U.S. Government commitments to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). To develop the Inventory, EPA uses national energy data and other national statistics. In many cases, the emissions data in the Inventory cannot be broken down by location or facility. In contrast, the GHG Reporting Program collects data on individual facilities above certain GHG thresholds. While the GHG Reporting Program provides data on roughly 80 85 - 90 percent of total GHG emission in the U.S., it does not provide full coverage of total annual U.S. GHG emissions. For more information regarding the differences in data and approach between the U.S. GHG Inventory and the GHG Reporting Program data, see our fact sheet.
Will the GHG Reporting Program replace the U.S. GHG Inventory in the future?
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Each facility has provided information on its corporate parent company which is available in the file for download . EPA's Data Publication database currently is not capable of sorting the data by parent corporation. EPA plans to upgrade publication tool in the future to allow this sorting functionthrough Envirofacts. You can also use FLIGHT to search for facilities associated with a given parent company. Click "Search Options" above the search bar, check the box for parent company and then type the name of the company into the search box and click Search.
The factory nearby isn't listed. Why not?
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Greenhouse gas emissions do not have direct adverse effects on human health like other air pollutants such as mercury or fine particulates. Instead, GHGs contribute to global warming causing the Earth's climate to change which in turn endangers human health and welfare. For example, a warmer climate will increase the risk of heat-related illnesses and death, and will worsen conditions for air pollution. For more information, visit http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/effects/index.htmlimpacts-adaptation/.
Why does the reporting tool show dashes for some of the data?
A limited amount of the data EPA received through the GHG Reporting Program is not available to the public due to confidentiality requirements. In a recent rulemaking, EPA has determined which data elements required to be reported for 2010 are deemed confidential business information. EPA is not able to share this confidential business information with the public. For more information on these determinations, please visit http://www.epa.gov/ghgreporting/reporters/cbi/index.html.
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Can I obtain the raw GHG data file?
To obtain the full 2010 non-confidential GHG Reporting Program data set visit http://epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ghgdata/2010data.htmlthe Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program page in Envirofacts . EPA will be updating the data files as well as the data publication website, periodically as the quality assurance process continues.
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