Greenhouse Gas Reporting (GHG): Bison Engineering

On September 22, 2009, the EPA finalized a rule requiring certain industrial sources to quantify and report their emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). If the rule applies to your facility, your first report(s) will be due March 31, 2011. You will need to start collecting emissions data for that first report starting January 1, 2010.

The rule contains three sets of applicability conditions:

1)   If your facility is engaged in any one of a list of specific production activities, it is automatically subject to the rule. Listed activities include electricity generation, cement production, lime manufacturing, and petroleum refining.

2)   If your facility is engaged in an activity contained in another list (not the one referred to above) and emits 25,000 metric tons or more of CO2e annually, it is subject to the rule. This list of activities includes glass production, iron and steel production, and pulp and paper manufacturing.

3)   If your facility is not engaged in an activity included in either of the two lists referenced above, but it meets both of the following conditions, it is subject to the rule.

The combined heat input capacity of all stationary fuel combustion units at the facility is 30 MMBtu/hr or more, and
Annual combined CO2e emissions from all stationary fuel combustion equipment at the facility are 25,000 metric tons or more.

The primary GHGs are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). There are also four additional, less common GHG compounds or compound groups. For accounting purposes, emission rates of the different GHGs are normalized based on their potential to contribute to global warming relative to CO2’s potential. These normalized emission rates are referred to as carbon equivalents, or CO2e. For example, if a facility emits 100 tons of CO2, it would emit 100 tons of CO2e. If a facility emits 100 tons of methane, however, it would be credited with emitting 2100 tons of CO2e, since methane is considered to have 21 times the global warming potential of CO2.

In addition to a general section, the rule includes 25 subparts that provide measurement, monitoring and calculation methods and reporting and recordkeeping requirements for specific activities. The subparts address fuel combustion and each of the activities listed for applicability.

Follow this link to EPA’s GHG reporting rule web page where you will find the rule itself and additional information: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ghgrulemaking.html

If you have questions about whether or not this rule applies to your facility, or if you would like assistance complying with the rule, we can help. Please call Bison Engineering, Inc. at (406) 442-5768 or send us an email request at bison@bison-eng.com.