The duplication of the Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases electronic reporting software on CD-ROM has been unexpectedly delayed until early November. As a result, we have extended the closing date for the 1997 Public Use Database to December 8, 1997. Barring further delays, the new deadline should allow reporters relying on the CD-ROM at least four weeks to install the software and complete their reports. We apologize to our reporters for any inconvenience that this delay will cause. Many reporters have successfully downloaded the software from EIA's FTP site. (We received our first electronic submission from Wisconsin Power & Light on October 17). However, we recognize that this may not be a viable option for those of you without high-speed Internet connections.

If you are waiting for the CD-ROM, there are several steps that you can complete "offline" (i.e., before the software is installed), including: Calculate estimates of emissions, emission reductions, or sequestration. Mark up a printout of last year's report to include the changes for 1997, which will ensure that you have identified and collected all the information needed for your new report. Prepare electronic versions of new or revised project descriptions and estimation methods, and any other supplementary text, using any word processor. This text can later be transferred to the electronic form using the Windows "copy" and "paste" commands.

We intend to release the 1997 Public Use Database (containing data reported on activities through 1996) plus any upgrades to the reporting software by May 1, 1998. Since this will give us time to process reports and compile the 1997 database, reporters will have the advantage of using reports that we have reviewed and accepted as the basis for their 1998 submissions.

Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 1996 is prepared by EIA pursuant to section 1605(a) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992. To obtain a copy contact the Communications Center at 1-800-803-5182. The report can also be viewed or downloaded via the Internet. For details, visit our web site at http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/1605/frntend.html.

1997 Reporting Software Works Great! Many reporters have successfully downloaded and installed the electronic reporting software from EIA's FTP site. Several have even completed and submitted reports already. To date, we have received no reports of serious problems with this software. We are currently aware of just two minor bugs, neither of which should affect most reporters. "Other" Electricity Generation Projects: The electronic form will not allow you to use "Other" for the Project Type (Part II, Question 1) on Section 1 of Schedule II. The text box where you are expected to enter a brief description of the project when "Other" is selected fails to appear. Because this invisible text box hasn't been completed, the electronic form will not allow you to exit the screen. If you would like to select "Other" in Section 1, we recommend that you select an alternate project type in the electronic form, and either make the correction on a printout for the project, which you can mail to us with your certification when you submit your report, or note the correction in Project Description text field. The Edit Subsystem and the EZ Form: The optional edit checks provided with the electronic form work only with the long form. If you try to run them on the EZ form, you will be told that you are missing information that is not required by the EZ form. Please contact the Communications Center immediately if you think you have encountered a bug or if you have any ideas to make the electronic form more user-friendly. We want to make sure that reporting is as easy and trouble-free as possible for all our volunteers! 1996 Annual Report Available The program's annual report, Mitigating Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Voluntary Reporting, is now available both electronically, via our web site, and in hard copy. We have already sent copies to some of you, including all of those who reported in 1996. If you would like to receive a printed copy of this report, contact the Communications Center at one of the telephone numbers/addresses shown below.

Waste Recycling and Source Reduction Estimating the emission reduction benefits of waste recycling and source reduction projects has been one of the most difficult challenges facing participants in the Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program. Happily, help is on the way. Our colleagues at the U.S. EPA's Office of Solid Waste have been hard at work on this problem.. They have prepared and released a preliminary draft report titled Greenhouse Gases Emissions from Municipal Waste Management. The report offers an examination of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with various waste management strategies for ten specific materials in municipal solid waste. The EPA is reviewing the comments from the recently-closed public comment period, and expects to revise the report and issue a final version during 1998. A copy of EPA's preliminary report can be obtained by calling the RCRA hotline at 1-800-424-9346 and requesting report number EPA 530-R-97-010, or it can be downloaded from the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/ munclp/ghg.html. The current draft of the report provides estimates of greenhous gas emissions in carbon equivalent units. While the Voluntary Reporting Program requests data in units of native gas, we strongly encourage our participants to review the EPA document. We are working together with EPA to prepare guidance materials for using the final report to calculate reductions for submission to the Voluntary Reporting Program. Until then, please continue to provide the volume or mass of waste recycled or source reduced and we will preserve that data for conversion to emission reductions as soon as possible. EIA Solicits Comments on Reporting Forms As part of its continuous effort to reduce paperwork burden (pursuant to the Paper Work Reduction Act of 1995), the Energy Information Administration (EIA) provides an opportunity for the general public as well as other Federal agencies to comment on proposed and continuing reporting forms. EIA is currently requesting reauthorization of the Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases reporting forms (Forms EIA-1605 and EIA-1605EZ). An official notice of this request for comment appeared in the Federal Register on October 20, 1997 and can be viewed at http://www.eia.gov/oss/frgn1605.html. If you have any comments pertaining to such issues as the clarity of the reporting forms and instructions, your ability to submit data by the due date, and the estimated reporting burden, please submit them in writing by December 19, 1997 to: Stephen E. Calopedis, Energy Information Administration, Office of Integrated Analysis and Forecasting, EI-81, Forrestal Building, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, D.C. 20585. Comments may also be submitted by e-mail (stephen.calopedis@eia.doe. gov) or fax (202/586-3045).

For More Information About Voluntary Reporting... Voice: 1-800-803-5182 or 202-586-0688 Fax: (202) 586-3045 E-mail: infoghg@eia.doe.gov Internet: http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/1605/frntend.html FTP: ftp://ftp.eia.doe.gov/pub/oiaf/1605/cdrom Mailing Address: Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program, U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, EI-81, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20585.