Over the past 20 years, it has been necessary to track and report greenhouse gas pollution they emit in the atmosphere at tens of thousands of factories in the United States and California.
This month, the Trump administration moved End the plan permanentlyhas long had bipartisan support during George W. Bush’s administration. Lee Zeldin, President Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency administrator, said greenhouse gas reports are expensive and heavy, and cutting the plan will save U.S. businesses up to $2.4 billion in regulatory costs.
However, ending the requirement will make it harder for some state regulators to track climate progress and make residents aware of whether power plants or plants nearby are reducing or increasing emissions.
“Measurement and reporting on climate pollution is a critical step in reducing the extreme lethal effects of climate-driven extremes that can lead to more pollution, catastrophic weather events, health emergencies and deaths,” said Will Barrett, vice president of national clean air policy for the U.S. lungs. “Ignoring this reality is a fatal choice, not a choice the EPA should make for American families.”
EPA’s Greenhouse gas report plan About 8,000 power plants, refineries and other industrial facilities are needed each year to report their output, accounting for about 90% of the country’s emissions. Greenhouse gases are by far the biggest driver of climate change.
If finalized, Proposal to end the plan The EPA said it will remove reporting obligations from most large facilities as well as all fuel and industrial gas suppliers. The move comes after various conglomerates lobby for governments to reduce regulatory requirements for numerous federal agencies.
Environmental groups said the announcement marked another blow from the government, which has targeted many of the U.S. cornerstone climate plans. This year’s EPA has also proposed Retreat more than 30 rules and regulations Control air and water quality while promoting oil and gas production. The proposed abolition is called Hazard Discoverydetermine that fossil fuel emissions pose a threat to human health and the environment.
However, California may be better prepared to survive the storm than other states.
The California Air Resources Commission is the major national body under the protection of the California EPA – State-level greenhouse gas reporting plan In a sense, this exceeds the federal federal government now on the chopping block.
Carb requires a large amount of fixed pollutants that emit more than 10,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year to report its emissions, while the minimum metric ton of EPA is 25,000 tons. The state’s plan also includes other reporting categories that the EPA does not need, such as fuel suppliers and power importers.
“We have taken climate change seriously for many years,” said John Balmes, an emeritus professor at UC Berkeley. “Knowing what greenhouse gas emissions in California is important for our planned mitigation strategies, so our report is very strict.”
Unlike federal programs, California’s system also goes beyond data collection and is directly related to compliance obligations. That’s because Carb’s report integrates with Cap and Trade California’s signature climate plan This sets restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions and allows large polluters to buy and sell unused emission allowances at quarterly auctions.
Carb uses data reported by state transmitters to determine its allowance allocation. Each year, fewer allowances are created, thereby reducing annual climate pollution in the state. The plan is considered crucial to fit its ambitious climate goals, including 100% carbon neutrality by 2045, and state lawmakers agree Extend cap and transactions for 15 years By the same year.
“It’s a global issue, but jurisdictions have to lead where they can, and California has long been a subnational leader in climate change mitigation policies,” Balmes said.
Selding said the cut was justified due to the lack of regulations related to the EPA reporting program. Facility-level data from the federal program are used to monitor national emission estimates and trends over time, identify opportunities for reduction, inform state and local policies, and assist communities in identifying nearby sources of pollution.
“The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program is nothing more than a bureaucratic traditional tape festival that does not help improve air quality,” Zeldin said in a press release. “Instead, it spends American businesses and businesses that make billions of dollars, increases the cost of living, endangers the prosperity of our country and hurts American communities.”
California’s reporting program applies to more than 550 facilities, the largest of which include Pacific Gas and Electrical, Southern California Gas Corporation and fossil fuel companies such as Chevron, Marathon and Phillips, 66 Status data Starting in 2023, it will be available in the last year. The Los Angeles refinery (the largest refinery on the West Coast) of the marathon is also high.
The total emissions reported for that year were about 370 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, compared with 2.58 billion tons reported to the federal program in the same year.
According to the EPA’s proposal, none of these entities need to report their emissions to the federal government. Although they will still be subject to state reports, officials noted that pollution does not stop at state boundaries.
“Require polluters to report their emissions is a key way local governments can track how industries in cities affect people’s health.” Kate Wright is executive director of climate mayor Kate Wright, a bipartisan group of nearly 350 mayors in the United States, including La Mayor Karen Bass.
“Air pollution kills 135,000 Americans Every year, cities work hard to lower that number every day. “They need to access that data to help them make the best decisions for their community and to ensure that people across the country can breathe clean air without toxic, cancer-causing chemicals,” Wright said. Without liability, emissions will be unlimited and thousands of Americans will pay the price. ”
Although California is home to many countries’ leading climate policies, the state has long suffered from some of the country’s worst air quality, mainly due to its large number of cars, trucks, trains and cargo ships and the terrain that captures pollution inside the state. Los Angeles has been ranked The most unconscious city in the country In the past 26 years, there have been 25 years.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration targeted some regulatory muscles in the state Revoke its authority To set strict tailpipe emission standards under the EPA, the action prompted California to respond with a lawsuit.
Trump moved there too Rolling back the Biden era rules Aiming to address mercury air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and provide large polluters for the two-year exemption administered by the Clean Air Act, who can Request by sending email.
The Environmental Protection Network, a DC-based group of more than 650 former EPA employees, estimates that the abolition of these and other safeguards will result in nearly 200,000 early deaths by 2050, and conduct more than 10,000 asthma attacks on American children every day, among other results.
Barrett of the American Lung Association said the latest proposal to end the greenhouse gas report program is “a broad aspect of policies against climate science and protecting human health.”
Such a federal effort, he added, is: “The importance of continuing climate and clean air leadership in California has attracted attention.”
EPA will start Public opinion period It is to seek comments on its proposal to cancel the greenhouse gas reporting plan in the coming weeks.
