Implementing Agency

Greenhouse Gas Reporting and Disclosure: Key Elements of a Prospective U.S. Program

Implementing Agency

Any of several agencies could be assigned the task of establishing a GHG reporting program. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has experience in establishing mandatory reporting and disclosure programs, and the infrastructure needed for managing one and making its contents readily available. Currently, for example, the EPA manages the Clean Air Act program under which utilities report their annual CO₂ emissions, as well as the Toxics Release Inventory. The Energy Information Agency at the Department of Energy (DOE) is also a considerable source of data on GHG emissions and administers the DOE’s 1605(b) reporting program. Similarly, the Economics and Statistics Administration of the Department of Commerce routinely manages a vast amount of data on business activity. Whatever agency is assigned should be able to implement a mandatory reporting program by rule and enforce its requirements, manage and disclose a large amount of publicly available data, protect trade secret information and national security data, and provide technical assistance to reporting entities.

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