This document was developed for the Proposed Mandatory GHG Reporting Rule. For
the final document, please visit the final Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse
Gases Rule.
Manure Management Systems
United Slates
Proposed Rule: Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Environmental Protection
Under the proposed Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) rule, owners or operators
of facilities that contain manure management systems (as defined below) and that emit at least
25,000 metric tons of GHGs per year (expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent) would report
emissions from all source categories located at the facility for which emission calculation methods
are defined in the rule. Owners or operators would collect emission data; calculate GHG
emissions; and follow the specified procedures for quality assurance, missing data, recordkeeping,
and reporting.
Who Would Be Required to Report Emissions?
A facility that emits 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) or more per year from manure
management systems would be required to report. A manure management system stabilizes or stores
livestock manure in one or more of the following system components:
• Uncovered anaerobic lagoons
• Liquid/slurry systems
• Storage pits
• Digesters
• Solid manure storage
• Manure composting
• Feedlots and other drylots
• High-rise houses for poultry production
• Other poultry production with litter
• Deep bedding systems for cattle and swine
GHG emissions from sources at livestock facilities unrelated to the stabilization or storage of manure, other
than flares used at digesters, would not have to be reported. GHG emissions from enteric fermentation from
cattle, field application of manure, or manure deposited by livestock on pasture/range would NOT be covered
under this rule, and these emissions would not be reported. EPA models estimated that approximately 85 to
95 of the largest manure management systems at beef, dairy, poultry, and swine farms across the nation
would be required to report under the proposal.
What GHGs Would Be Reported?
Under the proposal, for all manure management systems that meet or exceed the reporting threshold,
facilities would report aggregate methane (CFLO and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from the system
components listed above. For those manure management systems that include digesters, CFU generated and
destroyed at the digester would also be reported. CO2, CH4, and N2O emissions from the combustion of
fossil fuels in boilers, water heaters, engines, flares, or other combustion equipment would also be reported
by following the requirements of 40 CFRpart 98, subpart C (General Stationary Fuel Combustion Sources).
The information sheet on general stationary fuel combustion sources summarizes the proposal for calculating
June 2009 1 EPA-430-F-09-026
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This document was developed for the Proposed Mandatory GHG Reporting Rule. For
the final document, please visit the final Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse
Gases Rule.
and reporting emissions from these units. Emissions from the combustion of digester gas in flares would not
be reported.
How Would GHG Emissions Be Calculated?
Detailed methods for calculating GHG emissions are included in the proposed regulation and are briefly
described below. Under the proposal, for each manure management system component other than digesters,
owners or operators would calculate CFU mass emissions using the following inputs and data:
• Type of system component.
• Average annual animal population.
• Percent of manure handled in each component.
• Annual average volatile solids (VS) value calculated from monthly manure samples sent to a
laboratory for analysis.
• Maximum CFLrproducing potential of the managed manure and CF^ conversion factors provided in
look-up tables.
For anaerobic digesters, facilities would estimate CFU emissions and the annual mass of CFU generated and
destroyed based on the following inputs and data:
• Continuous monitoring of CFU concentration, flow rate, temperature, and pressure of the digester
gas.
• Methane destruction efficiency of the burned digester gas (based on the manufacturer's specified
efficiency or 99 percent, whichever is less), and fugitive emissions.
• CO2, CFU, and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from the combustion of supplemental fuels (not
digester gas) used in flares at digesters.
For each manure management system component, N2O emissions would be estimated using the following
inputs:
• Type of system component.
• Average annual animal population.
• Percent of manure handled in each component.
• Average annual nitrogen (N) value calculated from monthly manure samples sent to a laboratory for
analysis.
• N2O emission factors provided in look-up tables.
Each facility would report annual aggregate CF^and N2O emissions from all of the components of the
manure management system if the total was equal to or above 25,000 metric tons of CO2e per year. The
reports would include any of the above information used to estimate GHG emissions.
For More Information
This series of information sheets is intended to assist reporting facilities/owners in understanding key
provisions of the proposed rule. However, these information sheets are not intended to be a substitution for
the rule. Visit EPA's Web site (www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ghgrulemaking.html) for more
information, including the proposed preamble, rule and additional information sheets on specific industries
June 2009 2 EPA-430-F-09-026
-------
This document was developed for the Proposed Mandatory GHG Reporting Rule. For
the final document, please visit the final Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse
Gases Rule.
including the Guide for the Agriculture and Livestock Sectors, go to to access the
rulemaking docket (EPA-HQ OAR-2008-0508). For questions that cannot be answered through the Web site
or docket call 1-877-GHG-1188.
June 2009 3 EPA-430-F-09-026
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