FAQs Answers

General Information

• What is the purpose of the Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program?

The purpose of the 1605(b) Program—also known as Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program—is to encourage corporations, government agencies, non-profit organizations, households, and other private and public entities to submit annual reports of their greenhouse gas emissions, emission reductions, and sequestration activities. This reported information is included in a public database, which enables participants to demonstrate achieved reductions of greenhouse gas emissions

Instructions for Form EIA-1605, pp.1

• What is the purpose of Form EIA-1605?
  

Form EIA-1605 provides a means for the voluntary reporting of greenhouse gas emissions, reductions, and sequestration under Section 1605(b) of the Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 1992 (Public Law 102-486). The form implements the guidelines for filing voluntary reports issued on April 21, 2006 by the Department of Energy ’s (DOE) Office of Policy and International Affairs, Guidelines for Voluntary Greenhouse Gas Reporting (10 CFR Part 300).

Instructions for Form EIA-1605, pp.1

• Why report?

Reporting gives participants the opportunity to create a public record of their emissions, emission reductions, and/or sequestration achievements. The registration of emission reductions may provide special recognition to those entities willing to meet additional requirements. Reporting to the 1605(b) Program also provides a mechanism for initiating an informed public debate on greenhouse gases and reduction efforts. Over time, it is anticipated that these reports will contribute to a reliable record of contributions made toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Instructions for Form EIA-1605, pp.1

• How will my report be used?

All reports submitted to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Form EIA-1605 will be entered into an electronic database designed to preserve data on emissions, emission reductions, and sequestration achievements. All non-confidential information reported under this voluntary program will be publicly available on a reporter-specific basis. Public access to these data will create a reliable record of the contributions reporting entities have made toward reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.

Instructions for Form EIA-1605, pp.1

• What mediums are available for 1605(b) reports?

Participants in the 1605(b) Program may report on paper, but it is preferred that they use the electronic reporting form, which will be available on the 1605(b) Web site at

http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/1605b_form_and_instructions.htm. The paper forms will also be accessible on the same page.

• What are greenhouse gases?

Greenhouse gases, found in trace quantities in the atmosphere, absorb infrared energy and prevent it from leaving the atmosphere. Increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere may contribute to an increase in average global temperatures resulting in adverse climate changes. Although many gases found in the atmosphere exhibit these properties, the 1605(b) Program focuses on the greenhouse gases most affected by human activity: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

Instructions for Form EIA-1605, pp.1

• Which greenhouse gases can I report?

You can report:

• Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
• Methane (CH4)
• Nitrous Oxide (N2O)
• Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
• Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
• Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6)
• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
• Other gases or particles that have been demonstrated to have significant, quantifiable climate forcing effects when released to the atmosphere in significant quantities and for which DOE has established or approved methods for estimating emissions and reductions. The only gas in this category for which DOE has established or approved methods for estimating emissions and reductions is nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) emitted in semiconductor manufacture.

Instructions for Form EIA-1605, pp. 7
General Guidelines, §300.2

• What are emissions, reductions, and sequestration?

Emissions are the direct release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere from any anthropogenic (human-induced) source and certain indirect emissions or releases. A reduction is a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions. Sequestration is the process by which CO2 is removed from the atmosphere, whether through biological or physical processes.

Instructions for Form EIA-1605, pp. 2

• Who can report?

Reporters to the 1605(b) Program may include businesses, institutions, organizations, or households that would qualify as entities under the Program. An entity refers to the whole or part of any business, institution, organization or household that:

• is recognized as an entity under any U.S. Federal, State, or local law that applies to it;
• is located and operates, at least in part, in the United States; and
  emits greenhouse gases as a result of its operations in the United States.
  

 

Instructions for Form EIA-1605, pp. 3
General Guidelines, §300.2

• Are there registration fees?

No, there are no registration fees for reporting to the 1605(b) Program.

• What are the provisions regarding the confidentiality of the information included in my 1605 report?

The information reported on Form EIA-1605 may be treated as confidential if you make a written request showing that your information is financial or commercial information and that it is confidential or privileged, as to satisfy the criteria for exemption under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. §552, the DOE regulations, 10 C.F.R. §1004.11, implementing the FOIA, and the Trade Secrets Act, 18 U.S.C. §1905. To assist us in this determination, respondents should demonstrate to the DOE that, for example, their information contains trade secrets or commercial or financial information whose release would be likely to cause substantial harm to their company's competitive position. A letter accompanying the submission should explain (on an element-by-element basis) the reasons why reporting this information would be likely to cause substantial competitive harm if released to the public.

Instructions for Form EIA-1605, pp. 19
General Guidelines, §300.9(e)

• How is Form EIA-1605 organized?

Form EIA-1605 consists of four schedules, which allow you to describe your entity, to characterize the different aspects of your emissions and emissions reduction efforts, to certify and, if desired, to independently verify the information reported. The schedules are:

• Schedule I: Entity Information
• Schedule II: Subentity Information
• Schedule III: Emission Reductions Summary
• Schedule IV: Verification and Certification

Instructions for Form EIA-1605, pp. 11

• Am I allowed to report for a partial year of operations?

You are not allowed to report a partial year to the 1605(b) Program. All submitted reports must account for a full calendar year.

• What are the reporting deadlines?

To be included in the next annual report of greenhouse gas emissions, entity reports that have not been independently verified must be submitted to EIA no later than July 1 for emissions occurring during the previous calendar year. The corresponding deadline for reports that have been verified by an independent third party is September 1. Please note that these deadlines may be different in the first operational year of the enhanced 1605(b) Program. Please see the Reporting Schedule for up-to-date reporting deadline information.

General Guidelines, §300.9(c)

• What should I do if I miss the deadline for a Reporting Year?

If you miss a deadline for a Reporting Year, you may submit an eligible report in the next reporting cycle. The 1605(b) Program accepts late submissions and publishes these data in upcoming annual reports. For example, should you miss the deadline in 2009 (for data through 2008), you can submit these data in 2010 or beyond.

• Are there minimum reporting requirements?

At a minimum, reporters not intending to register reductions must meet the entity statement, record keeping, and certification requirements set forth in the General Guidelines.

At a minimum, reporters must submit reports that include:

• An entity statement that fully documents:
  • The name used to identify the reporting entity;
  • The legal basis of the entity;
  • The geographic scope of the entity;
  • The organizational boundaries of the entity;
  • The description of the entity and its primary economic activities;and
  • A description if the types of emission sources or sinks
• An inventory of Base Period emissions (for a Start Year report) and an inventory of Base Period and Reporting Year emissions (for a Reporting Year report).
• A certification attesting that the Start Year and subsequent Reporting Year reports contain:
  • accurate and complete information on emission reductions; and
  • the use of approved emission calculation methods described in the revised General and Technical Guidelines.

Table 1 summarizes the reporting requirements for large emitters intending to register reductions, small emitters intending to register reductions, and any entity intending to report but not register reductions.

Instructions for Form EIA-1605, pp. 7
General Guidelines, §300.5(f),§300.9,§300.10

• What parts of Form EIA-1605 do I need to complete?

You need to complete only those portions of the reporting form applicable to the nature of your entity and reporting objectives. The parts of Form EIA-1605 that must be compelted depend on whether:

• You are submitting a Start Year or Reporting Year report;
• Your entity is a small or large emitter;
• You intend to register emissions reductions;
• Your report will be verified by an independent third party;
• All the methods you used to estimate are rated B or higher;
• Subentities are included in your report.

Once you have determined the above characteristics of your report, you can use the Getting Started Tool, a spreadsheet-based tool that will help you identify the reporting requirements for your entity. Additionally, the decision charts in the Instructions for Form EIA-1605 will assist you in determining which Schedules, Sections, and Parts of Form EIA-1605(b) you need to complete.

Instructions for Form EIA-1605, pp.11

• Is the 1605(b) Program a Carbon Trading Service?

The 1605(b) Program is not a Carbon Trading Service and has no bearing on the carbon-trading activities of entities that report to the 1605(b) Program. Additionally, the Program does not allow the trading of emission reductions among Program participants within EIA's public use database of emission reductions.

• How does the 1605(b) Program compare to other reporting programs such as The Climate Registry, California Climate Action Registry, EPA Climate Leaders, and Chicago Climate Exchange?

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) has developed a chart illuminating some of the key differences among the various greenhouse gas reporting programs.

• Do the calculation methods outlined in the 1605(b) guidelines account for regulatory additionality? In other words, does the Program only credit an entity with emission reductions if they are above regulatory requirements?

Regulatory additionality is not specifically addressed in the revised guidelines for the Program. Thus, entities receive recognition for emission reductions regardless of whether they are the product of regulatory requirements. 

Technical Guidelines, Section 2.4.5.6.2

• Is the 1605(b) program more concerned with an entity's individual project reductions or the cumulative effect of an entity's emisisons reductions?

The revised 1605(b) Program focuses on recognizing the overall cumulative effect of entity-wide actions on total emissions rather than focusing on the effects of individual actions on emissions. 

• For entities that are reducing emissions, is there any provisions for early reduction credits?

By establishing a record of greenhouse gas emission reductions, reporting entities may be positioning themselves to benefit from any future congressional actions, such as the creation of a greenhouse gas cap-and-trade system.  It is, however, dependent on future regulations passed by Congress whether reductions reported to the 1605(b) program will receive credit under such a system. 

• Can I use an estimation method not included in the 1605(b) Technical Guidelines?

Yes, you may use an estimation method not included in the 1605(b) Technical Guidelines if your entity obtains DOE approval.  Approval for the use of an estimation method not included in the Technical Guidelines may be given if the method covers sources not described in the Technical Guidelines or if the method provides more accurate results for your specific circumstances than the methods described in the Technical Guidelines. 

If your entity wishes to propose the use of a methods that is not described in the Technical Guidelines, your entity must provide DOE with a written description of the method, an explanation of how the method is implemented, empirical evidence of the method’s validity and accuracy, and a suggested rating for the method to DOE’s Office of Policy and International Affairs*.  DOE reserves the right to deny the request, or to assign its own rating to the method.  By submitting information regarding the method, your entity grants permission to DOE to incorporate the method in any future revision of the Technical Guidelines. 

* Such written descriptions of valid methods not included in the Technical Guidelines should be sent as per the instructions on DOE’s Office of Policy and International Affairs Web site at:

http://www.pi.energy.gov/enhancingGHGregistry/index.html, with a copy provided to EIA at infoGHG@eia.doe.gov.

General Guidelines, §300.6(c)

• Can I submit a COMET-VR report designed by USDA?

COMET-VR reports designed by USDA may not be submitted directly to the Voluntary Reporting Greenhouse Gases Program.  If you wish your emission reductions to be recorded by the EIA, you must report directly to the Voluntary Program on Form EIA-1605.  You may, however, use COMET-VR output to assist you in completing Form EIA-1605. 

• Whom do I contact if I have additional questions or suggestions?

If you have questions about the forms and instructions or would like assistance in quantifying your emissions reductions, please refer to our contact page.