Revisions and Confidentiality Determinations for Data Elements for the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule (Final Rule)
New collection (Request for a new OMB Control Number)
No
Regular
Approved with change
01/07/2025
11/04/2024
In accordance with 5 CFR 1320, the information collection is approved.
table that charts list comparision
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
01/31/2028
36 Months From Approved
20,483
0
0
25,647
0
0
2,733,937
0
0
In response to the FY2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 2764; Public Law 110-161) and under authority of the Clean Air Act (CAA), EPA finalized a greenhouse gas reporting rule in October of 2009 (henceforth referred to as the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program or GHGRP) (74 FR 56260; October 30, 2009). The rule, which became effective on December 29, 2009, requires reporting of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from certain large facilities and suppliers. The GHGRP requires that sources emitting GHGs, supplying certain products that contain GHGs, or injecting carbon dioxide (CO2) underground in quantities above certain threshold levels of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) monitor and report GHG data and other relevant information. Subsequent rules have promulgated requirements for additional facilities, and suppliers; provided clarification and corrections to existing requirements; and finalized confidentiality business information (CBI) determinations, amended recordkeeping requirements, and implemented an alternative verification approach.
This supporting statement addresses information collection activities that would be imposed by the final rule Revisions and Confidentiality Determinations for Data Elements Under the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule. The final revisions consolidate amendments from the 2022 Data Quality Improvements Proposal and the 2023 Supplemental Proposal to amend specific provisions in the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule for the purposes of enhancing the quality of the data collected and clarifying elements of the rule. Specifically, the final revisions will more accurately reflect industry emissions through collection of additional data to understand new source categories or new emission sources for specific sectors, improving emissions calculation methodologies, and improving the accuracy of reported emissions by improving verification and eliminating data gaps. These final revisions are expected to result in an increase in respondent burden. See Section 4(b) and Table 1 of Attachment 1 for a complete list of final revisions to the reporting requirements. The EPA previously submitted ICRs on the proposed rules under OMB 2060-0629, ICR No. 2300.19 and OMB 2060-0748, ICR No. 2773.01. The EPA received a number of comments on the proposed revisions in both the 2022 Data Quality Improvements Proposal and the 2023 Supplemental Proposal. Following consideration of comments, the EPA has, in some cases, revised the final rule requirements, and in other cases, has decided to not take final action on proposed revisions. This ICR reflects the requirements of the final revisions.
The final amendments will revise the applicability for certain sectors. These revisions would expand the number of respondents reporting to the GHGRP in certain industrial sectors. The final revisions to applicability result in an increase in burden for facilities in the affected sectors who were not previously required to report under the GHGRP. For new subparts, the requirements would require the collection of new data (approximately 75 new data elements that must be reported via e-GGRT or entered into IVT in e-GGRT), and would implement certain calculation, monitoring, and recordkeeping and reporting requirements for the affected facilities. The final revisions also include revisions that would streamline or improve calculation or monitoring methods; these revisions require additional labor burden for respondents to adjust their internal reporting methods and to review readily available data from facilities and conduct engineering calculations; for certain reporters, the revisions result in a reduction in O&M costs. The final amendments also revise the current recordkeeping and reporting under part 98 by requiring 122 new and revised data elements be reported via e-GGRT or entered into IVT in e-GGRT for 19 existing subparts. For each of the new and significantly revised data elements, respondents would be required to ascertain or calculate the data element using readily available data (data that are generally collected as part of a facilitys standard course of business, such a material consumption or production data) and submit the value via e-GGRT or enter the value into the EPAs IVT. The final costs have been adjusted from those proposed to remove costs where the EPA is not taking final action on specific proposed revisions to add subpart B (Energy Consumption), certain costs associated with proposed revisions to subpart W (Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems) included in the 2022 Data Quality Improvements Proposal, and costs associated with certain revisions to calculations, monitoring, or reporting requirements for subparts A (General Provisions), C (General Stationary Fuel Combustion), F (Aluminum Production), G (Ammonia Production), H (Cement Production), S (Lime Production), HH (Municipal Waste Landfills), OO (Suppliers of Industrial Greenhouse Gases), and QQ (Importers and Exporters of Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases Contained in Pre-Charged Equipment and Closed-Cell Foams). The burden of the final rule has also been adjusted to account for additional final reporting and recordkeeping requirements for subparts I (Electronics Manufacturing), P (Hydrogen Production), DD (Electrical Transmission and Distribution Equipment Use), and ZZ (Ceramics Manufacturing). The total increase in costs from all final revisions includes $5,418,494 in the first year, $5,405,019 in the second year, and $5,406,642 in the third year, or an average annual cost of $5,410,052. These costs include an annual average non-labor cost of $2,733,937. Overall, the final revisions would result in an increase in costs.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
ICR 2060-0748 listing of data elements, .docx
2773t02.xlsx
Annual Reporting