Fact Sheet vvEPA United States Environmental Protection Proposed Rule: Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule Revisions and Confidentiality Aaency Determinations for Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems Action • The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing revisions to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems source category (Subpart W) and the General Provisions (Subpart A) of the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP). The proposal includes revisions to certain calculation methods, monitoring and data reporting requirements, terms and definitions, and technical and editorial errors that were identified during the course of implementation. • The EPA is also proposing confidentiality determinations for new or substantially revised data elements proposed in this rule, as well as proposing a revised confidentiality determination for one existing data element. • The proposed changes would enhance the clarity and consistency of the reported data. They are not expected to significantly change the total amount of reporters or greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions covered by the GHGRP. Background • The GHGRP, mandated by Congress in the FY2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act, requires reporting of GHG data from large emission sources and suppliers across a range of industry sectors. • The GHGRP collects greenhouse gas data from facilities that conduct Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems activities, including production, processing, transmission, and distribution. For the 2012 calendar year, the EPA received annual reports from over 2,000 facilities with Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems activities. The total reported GHG emissions for 2012 was 217 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. • The EPA has been working to improve the quality of data from this sector and expects that the GHGRP will be an important tool for the Agency and the public to analyze emissions and understand emissions trends. During the course of implementation, the EPA identified potential changes to the rule that, if made, would enhance its clarity and consistency, improve data quality, and respond to questions raised by reporters. Proposed Revisions Proposed revisions include: • Revising units of measure, terms, and definitions in certain equations to provide consistency throughout the rule, provide clarity, and better reflect facility operations. • Clarifying or simplifying calculation methods for certain sources at a facility, such as for liquids unloading, completions and workovers, onshore production storage tanks, blowdown vents, associated gas venting and flaring, and natural gas distribution sources. February 2014 1 40 CFR Part 98 ------- • Expanding the use of site-specific gas composition data for natural gas transmission compression and underground natural gas storage facilities. • Revising calculation methods for centrifugal and reciprocating compressors that have presented safety and operational process concerns for reporters. • Clarifying and providing greater specificity regarding procedures for estimating missing data. • Removing provisions related to Best Available Monitoring Methods (BAMM) as the revisions proposed in this rule address the safety and technical concerns that may have prevented full compliance with the rule. • Revising reporting requirements to clarify and align more closely with the calculation methods and to clearly identify the data that must be reported for each source type. Proposed Confidentiality Determinations • The EPA is proposing confidentiality determinations for new and substantially revised data reporting elements and a revised confidentiality determination for one existing data reporting element in the proposed amendments. The EPA is proposing to determine that none of these data reporting elements are entitled to confidential protection. More Information • For more information on the GHGRP and a prepublication version of this action, please visit our Web site: http://www.epa.gov/ghgreporting/reporters/rules/index.html. • The public comment period is open for 45 days after publication in the Federal Register. Detailed instructions on how to provide comments are located in the preamble of the proposed rule. • For more information on Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems in the GHGRP, see: http: //www. epa. gov/ghgreporting/reporters/subpart/w .html. February 2014 2 40 CFR Part 98 ------- |