Apr 18, 2006 -- ENERGY DEPARTMENT DOCUMENTS AND PUBLICATIONS/ContentWorks

U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman today announced revised guidelines for the department's Voluntary Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, known as "1605 (b)" that encourage broader reporting of emissions and sequestration by utilities, and industries, as well as small businesses and institutions. The revised guidelines strengthen the existing public registry for emissions and sequestration data and introduce new methods for U.S. businesses and institutions to calculate entity-wide emission reductions that contribute to the President's goal of substantially reducing U.S. emissions intensity.

"The revised guidelines fulfill President Bush's call for enhancing the 'accuracy, reliability, and verifiability of voluntary reporting and provide a mechanism for companies to identify areas to further reduce emissions," Secretary Bodman said. "This program enables companies to measure progress toward the President's goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions intensity 18% by 2012."

The guidelines provide tools and guidance for companies to strengthen their own greenhouse gas management efforts through high quality emission inventories and entity-wide assessments of emission reductions, while also establishing a public record of these efforts. Under this program, U.S. companies will submit detailed, annual reports on their emissions and reductions of greenhouse gases, and these reports will become part of the public record.

The revised guidelines enable utilities, industries and other emitters of greenhouse gases to be credited with registered reductions. The revised guidelines include "state-of-the-science" guidance and tools for estimating emissions associated with agriculture, forestry, and other sectors of the economy, and for calculating reductions from geologic sequestration, energy efficiency programs and other efforts. While the revised guidelines are primarily directed at large emitters of greenhouse gases, such as electricity generators and major industries, special provisions also encourage participation by farmers and small businesses.

This voluntary emissions reporting program is part of the Administration's efforts to accelerate reductions in U.S. greenhouse gas intensity now, while developing the advanced technologies needed to stabilize atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases without impairing economic growth. The revised program guidelines were developed through an extensive interagency and multi-year public review process that included workshops, meetings and other opportunities to provide DOE with oral and written comment. The revisions take into account new and emerging science and are the first revisions since the original guidelines were established under Section 1605 (b) of the 1992 Energy Policy Act.

DOE's Energy Information Administration will administer this voluntary reporting program and will prepare and make available for public review the forms necessary to implement the revised guidelines during the 2007 reporting cycle.

The revised guidelines will be published in the Federal Register this week. For more information on the revised guidelines visit http://www.pi.energy.gov/enhancingGHGregistry/ .

Media contacts: Craig Stevens, (202) 586-4940

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