FAQs

Emissions Inventories

• What are direct emissions?

Direct emissions are emissions from sources within the organizational boundaries of an entity (sources owned, wholly or in part, or leased by an entity). Examples of direct emissions include those that result from stationary combustion (the burning of fuels to produce heat or electric power) and mobile source combustion (the use of fuel in automobiles and other mobile sources).

General Guidelines, §300.2

• What are indirect emissions?

Indirect emissions are greenhouse from stationary or mobile sources outside the organizational boundary that occur as a direct consequence of an entity's activity, including but not necessarily limited to the emissions associated with the generation of electricity, steam and hot/chilled water used by an entity. For example, emissions produced during the generation of electricity, which is produced by a third party and consumed by the reporter, are indirect emissions of purchased energy. Indirect emissions from purchased energy are included in total emissions and reductions associated with these emissions can be registered.

Reporting entities may choose to report other forms of indirect emissions, such as emissions associated with employee commuting, materials consumed, or the end uses of products produced. "Other indirect emissions" are not included in the entity's total emissions and may not be the basis for registered emission reductions. Reports of these forms of indirect emissions must be distinct from reports in indirect emissions associated with purchased energy and must be based on emission measurement or estimation methods identified in the Technical Guidelines or otherwise approved by DOE.

General Guidelines, §300.2, §300.6(e)

• What is distributed energy?

Distributed energy is electrical or thermal energy generated by an entity that is sold or otherwise exported outside of the entity's boundaries for use by another entity.

General Guidelines, §300.2

• What are carbon stocks?

Carbon stocks are the quantity of carbon stored in biological and physical systems including: trees, products of harvested trees, agricultural crops, plants, wood and paper products and other terrestrial biosphere sinks, soils, oceans, and sedimentary and geological sinks.

General Guidelines, §300.2

• What is a carbon sink?

A carbon sink is an identifiable discrete location, set of locations, or area in which CO2 or some other greenhouse gas is sequestered.

General Guidelines, §300.2

• What are incidental lands?

Incidental lands are entity landholdings that are a minor component of an entity's operations and are not actively managed for production of goods and services, including:

• Transmission, pipeline, or transportation rights of way that are not managed for timber production;
• Land surrounding commercial enterprises or facilities; and
• Land where carbon stock changes area determined by natural factors.

General Guidelines, §300.2

• How do I classify emissions from airplane or locomotive travel?

You should classify emissions associated with airplane or locomotive travel as "other indirect emissions" under the revised 1605(b) Program. As other indirect emissions, reductions in these emissions would not be eligible for registration, and the emissions could not be included in the entity's total emissions.

• Can emissions from power bought and then resold be included in an emissions inventory?

No, entities may only report indirect emissions form the consumption of electricity, steam, and hot or chilled water in the entity's inventory as indirect emissions. This excludes purchased power directly bought and then resold to customers.

• Can I estimate the emissions for a vehicle fleet if I only know the total number of miles traveled?

If you know the total number of miles traveled for a vehicle fleet by model year, you can roughly estimate the fleet's emissions by using the Simplified Emissions Inventory Tool (SEIT). If you do not know the model year for the classes of vehicles in your fleet, you may estimate the CO2 emissions using the fuel emission factor for motor gasoline by assuming an average fuel efficiency for each class of vehicle in your fleet. You will also need to estimate the methane and nitrous oxide emissions for the vehicles using the emission factors by control technology.

Please note that you will not be able to use estimates produced by SEIT for your emissions inventory on Form EIA-1605. The tool is intended to produce a "rough cut" of your emissions for the purpose of determining de minimis emissions or if an entity is a small emitter. Emissions inventories should be based on the methods approved by DOE as documented in the Technical Guidelines.

• Can I register carbon stock changes, planted as a sustainable forestry project certified by the American Farm System?

No, you cannot register the carbon stock changes that accrue from the newly planted trees if the newly planted trees are reported as part of a certified sustainability managed forest. EIA assumes that such lands are de minimis and there is neither an increase nor decrease in carbon stocks.

Technical Guidelines, Section 1.I.3.5