A new year often brings new concerns for industries, as new laws and requirements often take effect at the change of the calendar. January 1, 2010 ushered in the EPA’s new Greenhouse Gas Reporting requirements which directly affect a large number of industrial facilities.
These new rules make mandatory the monitoring and reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from facilities which exceed the threshold amount of 25,000 metric tons/year of CO2 equivalent. While greenhouse gas emitters are not required at this point to control their GHG emissions, sources which surpass the threshold level must begin monitoring immediately for the 2010 calendar year. Industries which are impacted include any general stationary fuel combustion sources which have a facility-wide heat input capacity of 30 MM Btu/hr, various industrial and chemical producers, fossil fuel and industrial gas suppliers, and electric generation facilities.
The first GHG reports are not due to EPA until 2011, but waiting to comply with these new regulations is not an option. A written GHG monitoring plan must be in place for all affected facilities by April 1, 2010. A few special provisions may apply for some facilities, but any extension requests to this April 1 deadline must be submitted by the end of January 2010. It is imperative, then, that industrial facilities immediately focus attention on calculating their greenhouse gas emissions and ensuring that appropriate monitoring equipment is in place and functioning, according to the proper methodologies established by the rule. These new regulations have caused a great deal of concern across industries, leaving many executives and managers uncertain whether their facility exceeds the GHG threshold and the steps to take if they do. Conversion Technology, Inc. (CTI) is prepared to assist your facility in determining exactly how these new greenhouse gas regulations apply to your facility, including calculating your total GHG emissions, as well as helping to discern and perform the steps that need to be taken to ensure compliance.