The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has confirmed that the final, revised deadline for reporting 2010 greenhouse gas (GHG) data will be September 30, 2011.
The EPA announced earlier this month that it was pushing back the reporting deadline for greenhouse gas emissions from large emitters and fuel suppliers, originally set for March 31. But at that time, the EPA did not disclose what the new deadline would be, saying only that the final tool for companies to upload their data will be available this summer.
The EPA said that under its GHG Reporting Program, entities required to submit data must register with the electronic GHG reporting tool (e-GGRT) no later than 60 days before the reporting deadline. The extension announced today means that the new deadline for registering with e-GGRT is August 1, 2011.
“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 said.
The EPA launched the GHG Reporting Program in October 2009. The agency says that the data collected will help guide policy decisions and the development of possible emissions reductions programs in the future. It also says the data will help industries and businesses find ways to be more efficient and save money.
The EPA declared GHGs a threat to human health in late 2009, and has since ordered states to begin issuing GHG permits to big emitters such as oil refineries, coal-burning power plants, cement factories and glass makers. Those rules took effect January 2, although the EPA decided to defer application of the GHG rules to biomass facilities for three years.
Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress are seeking to block the EPA from regulating greenhouse gases. One such bill, introduced by House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.), was approved by that committee this week. The L.A. Times says that the bill is unlikely to win much support in the Democrat-led Senate.
In other major regulatory news, yesterday the EPA introduced national standards on power plants’ emissions of mercury, arsenic and several other toxic air pollutants.
Picture credit: Bruno D Rodrigues
