Electricity Generation A EPA Final Rule: Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases United States Environmental Protection Agency Under the Mandator}! Reporting of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) rule, owners or operators of facilities that contain electricity-generating units (as defined below) must report emissions from electricity-generating units and all other source categories located at the facility for which methods are defined in the ride. Owners or operators are required to collect emission data; calculate GHG emissions; and follow the specified procedures for quality assurance, missing data, recordkeeping, and reporting. How Is This Source Category Defined? This source category consists of: • Electricity-generating units that are subject to the requirements of the Acid Rain Program. • Electricity-generating units that are required to monitor and report to EPA carbon dioxide (C02) emissions year-round according to 40 CFRpart 75. This source category excludes portable equipment or emergency generators, as defined in 40 CFR 98.6. Facilities must report the following: • Report annual mass emissions of C02, nitrous oxide (N20), and methane (CH4) emissions for each electricity-generating unit. • For each electricity-generating unit that is not part of this category and for stationary fuel combustion units that do not generate electricity, report under subpart C (General Stationary Fuel Combustion Sources) annual emissions of C02, N20, and CH4 by following the requirements of subpart C. Facilities must calculate GHG emissions as follows: • Monitor and report C02 mass emissions according to the applicable requirements of 40 CFR 75. Convert cumulative C02 mass emissions reported in the fourth quarter from short tons to metric tons. • Calculate N20 and CH4 emissions by using the cumulative annual heat input to the unit, derived from the electronic data reports under part 75, and emission factors provided in 40 CFR part 98, subpart C (General Stationary Fuel Combustion Sources). When Must Reports be Submitted? The submission date for the annual GHG report can vary in the first 3 years of the program. • Reporting Year 2010. The report was required to be submitted by September 30, 2011. What GHGs Must Be Reported? How Should GHG Emissions Be Calculated? March 2012 1 40 CFR 98, subpart D ------- • Reporting Year 2011. The due date depends on which source categories are included in the report. If the report includes one or more of the source categories listed below, then the report must be submitted by September 28, 2012. This reporting deadline applies to all subparts being reported by the facility. In addition, if the facility contains one or more of these source categories and the facility submitted a GHG annual report for reporting year 2010 under another subpart (e.g., subpart C for general stationary fuel combustion), then by April 2, 2012 you must notify EPA through e-GGRT that you are not required to submit the second annual report until September 28, 2012 (the notification deadline according to 4 CFR 98.3(b) is March 31, 2012, however, because this date falls on a Saturday in 2012, the notification is due on the next business day). o Electronics Manufacturing (subpart I) o Fluorinated Gas Production (subpart L) o Magnesium Production (subpart T) o Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems (subpart W) o Underground Coal Mines (subpart FF) o Industrial Wastewater Treatment (subpart II) o Geologic Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide (subpart RR) o Manufacture of Electric Transmission and Distribution (subpart SS) o Industrial Waste Landfills (subpart TT) o Injection of Carbon Dioxide (subpart UU) o Imports and Exports of Equipment Pre-charged with Fluorinated GHGs or Containing Fluorinated GHGs in Closed-cell Foams (subpart QQ) If the report contains none of the source categories listed above, then the report must be submitted by April 2, 2012 (the deadline is March 31, 2012, however, because this date falls on a Saturday, the annual report is due on the next business day). • Reporting Year 2012. Starting in 2013 and each year thereafter, the report must be submitted by March 31 of each year, unless the 31st is a Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday, in which case the reports are due on the next business day. What Information Must Be Reported? In addition to the information required by the General Provisions at 40 CFR 98.3(c), report the information specified in 40 CFR 98.36 (b) of subpart C (General Stationary Fuel Combustion Sources) for each electricity-generating unit. EPA has temporarily deferred the requirement to report data elements in the above list that are used as inputs to emission equations (76 FR 53057, August 25, 2011). For the current status of reporting requirements, including the list of data elements that are considered to be inputs to emissions equations, consult the following link: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/CBI.html For More Information March 2012 2 40 CFR 98, subpart D ------- This document is provided solely for informational purposes. It does not provide legal advice, have legally binding effect, or expressly or implicitly create, expand, or limit any legal rights, obligations, responsibilities, expectations, or benefits in regard to any person. The series of information sheets is intended to assist reporting facilities/owners in understanding key provisions of the final rule. Visit EPA's Web site (www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ghgrulemaking.html) for more information, including the final preamble and rule, additional information sheets on specific industries, the schedule for training sessions, and other documents and tools. For questions that cannot be answered through the Web site, please contact us at: ghgmrr@epa.gov. March 2012 3 40 CFR 98, subpart D ------- |