Public Workshop Yields Dialogue on 1605(b) Enhancements Process

On January 12, 2003, the Department of Energy’s Office of Policy and International Affairs (DOE/PI) hosted a public workshop in order to solicit stakeholder input into proposed revised General Guidelines for the voluntary reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and emission reductions under Section 1605(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992. More information on these proposed guidelines can be viewed at http://www.pi.energy.gov/enhancingGHGregistry/proposedguidelines/index.html.

About 250 participants representing utilities, manufacturers, businesses, institutions, and environmental groups attended the workshop, which was held in Washington, DC. DOE/PI continued to accept comments on the proposed revised guidelines until the extended deadline of February 17, 2004. All comments received are posted at https://ostiweb.osti.gov/pighg/ghgb0202.idc.

As suggested at the workshop, DOE intends to make available for public comment a further revision of the General Guidelines simultaneously with the issuance of proposed Technical Guidelines, now scheduled for release by late spring or early summer.

Broad Range of Topics Addressed
at Workshop

The stakeholders participating in the 1605(b) public workshop brought a diversity of viewpoints to the discussion of a broad range of issues affecting the enhancement of the program. The issues addressed at the workshop included the following:

Defining Reporting Entities/Boundaries
-Defining/naming the reporting entity
-Owned and operated sources
-Parent companies, subsidiaries, shared-ownership, leased facilities

Registering versus Reporting
-Overall program design
-Distinction between registering versus reporting
-Key features of registering reductions

Entity-Wide Emission Inventories
-Large versus small emitters
-De minimis emissions
-Other gases

Emission Reductions
-Calculating reductions – changes in intensity, absolute, carbon storage, avoided, and project-based emissions
-“Credits,” start date, and offsets

Other Issues
-Recordkeeping
-Certification and independent verification
-International emissions and emission reductions
-Relationship to other voluntary climate programs

Materials from the workshop, including the agenda, a list of participants, presentation slides, audio recordings, and a full transcript, are available online at http://www.pi.energy.gov/enhancingGHGregistry/proposedguidelines/index.html under the subheading “Record of Public Workshop on Proposed Revised General Guidelines January 12, 2004.”

DOE Launches Climate VISION Website

On December 10, 2003, the Department of Energy launched the website for Climate VISION (Voluntary Innovative Sector Initiatives: Opportunities Now). Climate VISION is a voluntary, public-private partnership for pursuing initiatives that will help meet the President’s Climate Change Initiative goal of reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emission intensity by 18 percent by 2012.

The Climate VISION website serves as a resource for greenhouse gas-intensity reduction activities by participating industry associations and enables the public and association member companies to track progress in meeting their greenhouse gas-intensity reduction commitments.

The Climate VISION website can be viewed at http: //www.climatevision.gov/.

EIA Releases Annual GHG Emissions Report

EIA is pleased to announce the release of Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 2002, which is available on the Internet at http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/1605/ggrpt/index.html.

U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases were 6,862.0 million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent in 2002, a 0.5 percent increase from 2001 emissions levels (6,828.9 million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent).

The Greenhouse Gas Volunteer Has Gone Electronic

The Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program offers this newsletter primarily in electronic (.pdf) format. Newsletters are available via email, or from our Web site at http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/1605/news.html. However, we are always willing to photocopy and mail hard copies upon request.

If you would like to continue to receive our newsletters, please make sure we have your current e-mail address. You may contact the Program’s Communication Center via any of the means listed below. The next newsletter will be published later this spring.