U.S. EPA is holding a public hearing in Sacramento, California today on the agency’s proposed rule on mandatory greenhouse gas emissions reporting.  EPA held public hearings on the new rule in the Washington D.C. area earlier this month. 

Over 13,000 facilities nationwide, accounting for about 85% to 90% of GHGs emitted in the U.S., will be required to report their emissions under the rule.  Reporting will largely be done on a facility-level, with the threshold for mandatory annual reporting based on facility capacity, rather than emissions.  Where a capacity threshold is not feasible or appropriate, facilities that emit 25,000 metric tons or more of GHGs per year will be required to submit annual emissions reports.  Data collection will begin January 2010, the first reports due in March 2011. EPA estimates that the cost to all industries to comply with the new reporting requirements would be $160 million in the first year, and $127 million annually in subsequent years.

The rule was published in the Federal Register on April 10, and comments on the rule are due to EPA no later than June 9, 2009.