EPA Extends GHG Reporting Deadline; Online Platform Not Ready Yet
The agency said it expects to have the reporting tool available by this summer.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is finalizing an online electronic platform to ensure that greenhouse gas reporting requirements are practical and understandable, an EPA press release said.
Following conversations with industry and others, and in the interest of providing high quality data to the public this year, the agency has extended this year’s reporting deadline – originally March 31 – and plans to have the final uploading tool available this summer, with the data scheduled to be published later this year. This extension will allow EPA to further test the system that facilities will use to submit data and give industry the opportunity to test the tool, provide feedback, and have sufficient time to become familiar with the tool prior to reporting. The agency will provide more detail in the coming weeks and will ensure that this reporting extension is in effect before the original reporting deadline of March 31, 2011.
EPA has established a public help center that operates through its website and mechanisms for stakeholders to get answers to detailed technical questions. The agency has also conducted training sessions with each affected sector and held hundreds of meetings with stakeholders across the country.
EPA’s greenhouse gas reporting program, launched in October 2009, requires the reporting of GHG emissions data from large emission sources and fuel suppliers across a range of industry sectors. This program will provide data that will help industries find ways to be more efficient and save money.
Source: U.S. EPA