US plans to end industrial emissions monitoring program

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has unveiled a proposal that would end the emissions monitoring program for the country’s biggest polluters. The move has raised concerns among environmental groups, scientists and some politicians.

As The New York Times reported, the EPA said ending the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program would reduce bureaucracy, support US energy dominance and save businesses up to 2.4 billion dollars. The program, which has been operating in the US since 2010, monitors emissions from thousands of the country’s biggest polluters and provides a basis for reporting and setting targets under domestic and international climate policies.

The program currently requires around 8,000 industrial facilities in the US to monitor and report their emissions. These include coal-fired power plants, oil refineries and steelworks. Operators of these facilities must then report their greenhouse gas emissions each year. In 2023, for example, these companies reported emissions totaling 2.6 billion tonnes of CO2e. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is now defending the program’s repeal, calling it “nothing more than a bureaucratic burden” and estimating that ending it will save businesses 2.4 billion dollars in compliance costs.

Cities and local communities also rely on the data

Critics of the proposal argue that it is a politically motivated move intended to prevent the monitoring of actual emissions in the US. They say this undermines both national and international climate efforts. Joseph Goffman, former head of the EPA’s air office, warned, for example, that without accurate emissions data, “policymakers, businesses and cities cannot make sound decisions about how to reduce emissions and protect public health.”

Environmental groups add that local communities and cities often rely on reporting under the program to develop local policies to protect public health and air quality. The Trump administration previously tried to scale back the program, viewing it as a burden on US industry. It is now seeking to repeal other key climate regulations as well.

If the program is indeed repealed, some businesses will still be required to report their emissions. Some oil and gas companies will remain subject to emissions reporting requirements under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. However, the EPA proposal would allow them to defer compliance until 2034. The delay is in line with the decision by Republicans in Congress to postpone the methane emissions fee for the sector until 2034. The American Petroleum Institute said companies would continue to report emissions voluntarily. Experts, however, point out that without mandatory data verification, the reliability of these figures would be in doubt.