Greenhouse Gas
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Exchange Network and The Climate Registry (TCR)
Reporting information to The Climate Registry
Driven by an interest in demonstrating environmental leadership and local, state, provincial, and federal (pending) legislation, companies, government agencies, and non-profit organizations across North America are committing to measure, verify, and publicly report greenhouse gas emissions to The Climate Registry (TCR). Consistent with its principles and goals, the TCR is working to enable its stakeholders to efficiently report (transport) their greenhouse gas emission information by providing a robust reporting and verification infrastructure. In March, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a proposed rule addressing mandatory reporting of Greenhouse Gas emissions nationally. This document briefly describes the different reporting scenarios, different reporting options, and the present efforts to pilot and implement them.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting Scenarios
The proposed EPA rule contains a number of possible options for data collection nationally. Whatever the choices made for the final rule, the challenge will be to efficiently integrate that process with TCR Collections:
1. Voluntary Reporting - TCR is the major repository of voluntarily reported greenhouse gas emissions in North America. In this scenario organizations voluntarily report their information directly to TCR. TCR has the primary collection responsibility.
2a. Mandatory Reporting and TCR with primary collection responsibility – Government agencies with statutory responsibility to collect greenhouse gas emissions information are relying TCR as the primary reporting point for mandatory information submissions. In this instance, TCR has the responsibility to collect the information and then make this information available to the government agency with statutory responsibility for collection.
2b. Mandatory Reporting and other organization with primary collection responsibility - Some government agencies with statutory responsibility to collect greenhouse gas emissions information are choosing to be the primary collectors of greenhouse gas emissions information but are committed to providing their collected information to TCR.
TCR and Exchange Network Pilot Projects
The Environmental Council of the States (ECOS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), The Climate
Registry (TCR), California Climate Action Registry (CCAR), and several state environmental agencies
have partnered on an Exchange Network project to pilot the exchange of greenhouse gas emissions
(GHG) data between Exchange Network partners using the Consolidated Emissions Reporting Schema
(CERS).
The project aims to demonstrate a successful data exchange of historic GHG data from CCAR to TCR
using Exchange Network nodes and node client utilities. This initial GHG exchange will serve as a proof
of concept for the future flow of GHG emissions from state, local, and tribal agencies to TCR. While
batch uploads of GHG data from business entities to TCR will occur outside of the Exchange Network,
the validation and processing components of this data exchange may be re-used.
Outcomes of the pilot data exchange project will include lessons learned, instructions for how to use the
CERS to exchange GHG data with TCR, and flow configuration and schema usage documentation to
assist with future GHG data exchange implementations.
Links
Draft Schema for Consolidated Emissions Reporting Schema (CERS)
Powerpoint Slides from the 2008 Exchange Network National Meeting:
- Mandatory GHG Reporting Rulemaking slides by Chet Wayland, EPA
- Building a Consolidated Emissions Reporting Schema (CERS) slides
