EPA To Mandate Carbon (CO2) Emissions Tracking and Reporting
Posted: Sunday, March 29, 2009
by Daniel Stouffer
Earth Phone
The U.S. EPA and other international government agencies have stated that carbon dioxide is a great danger to the health of the public in general and will be strictly regulated in the near future. A measuring, managing, and mitigating greenhouse gas emission places the foundation for future carbon emissions trading schemes within the United States.
The U.S. EPA and other international government agencies have stated that carbon dioxide is a great danger to the health of the public in general and will be strictly regulated in the near future. A measuring, managing, and mitigating greenhouse gas emission places the foundation for future carbon emissions trading schemes within the United States. The European Union has worked on carbon emissions reductions as part of The Kyoto Protocol for a number of years. At a meeting planned in late 2009, global leaders in the fight against climate change will rework and redefine the next set of rules to follow The Kyoto Protocol. The U.S. under leadership form President Obama plan to be active participants.
As part of the draft greenhouse gas (GHG) regulations, any organization that uses refrigerant gases or other regulated substances would be required to comply with mandatory carbon emissions reporting. In addition to refrigerant gases, the following 6 chemical compounds all factor into a comprehensive carbon accounting. The Kyoto Protocol establishes legally binding commitments for the reduction of four greenhouse gases; carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), and two groups of refrigerant gases; CFCs and PFCs.)
Refrigerant gases are known to affect the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. Numerous gases are listed in the EPA regulations including nitrous oxide, methane, carbon dioxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, nitrogen trifluoride, and ethers. These substances are important to track in relation to existing regulations such as The Montreal Protocol and are partially covered under the proposed mandatory greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting regulations.
The EPA's mandatory carbon emissions reporting plan comes into effect in 2010. Companies must file a first report in 2011 covering the previous year. These requirements cover those facilities with HVAC systems, refrigeration and AC systems, companies that make industrial chemicals, as well as fossil fuels, engines and automobiles. Many industrial chemicals harm the environment by destroying the ozone layer or enhance global warming. The following chemicals, such as refrigerant gases, lead to harmful effects on the environment: chlorofluorocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons, halons, methyl chloroform, chlorine, fluorine, bromine and carbon tetrachloride amongst others.
The U.S. Clean Air Act, in addition to the mandatory emissions reporting by amounts, calls for the facilities and municipalities alike to monitor and track and subsequently report harmful substances, such as refrigerant gases that are in common use. Organizations that either cannot comply or choose to not follow the environmental regulations will be fined by the EPA. On top of regulatory fines, companies may experience a financial loss when they are required to buy carbon credits to meet the cap requirements.
Organizations can comply with CO2 emissions management regulations and reporting in a couple of ways. Monitoring and tracking can be handled manually and the reports completed by hand. However this approach can be very time-consuming and error-prone, and many will opt to use a software program or a web-based application to automatically handle the monitoring and tracking requirements of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Automation helps to ensure that reports are accurate and timely. Service automation or CMMS systems can lead the way to effective company operations. It is more efficient to maintain assets at optimal working conditions and collect relevant carbon related emissions data across distributed enterprises or systems.
Mandatory carbon emissions reporting will definitely lower this country's greenhouse gas emissions. The government has said that 13,000 facilities are responsible for between 85 and 90% of the harmful substances in the air.
The U.S., by enacting a carbon emissions management, tracking, and reporting protocol, helps to educate and lead organizations of all sizes down a path that will lower overall carbon emissions. This will help reduce global warming, tighten the efficiencies of many organizations, and ultimately lead to a more sustainable future. This initiative is being repeated at various locations worldwide with the aim of addressing climate change head on - in as straightforward of a manner with immediate financial incentives to drive rapid and economy wide adoption of carbon reduction and market-based trading.
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