Council on Environmental Quality Issues Draft Guidance for Federal Greenhouse Gas Reporting and Accounting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

July 14, 2010

Council on Environmental Quality Issues Draft Guidance for Federal Greenhouse Gas Reporting and Accounting

WASHINGTON – The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) today announced that it is issuing Draft Guidance for Federal Greenhouse Gas Reporting and Accounting for public comment. The Draft Guidance establishes government-wide procedures for calculating and reporting greenhouse gas emissions associated with Federal agency operations and has been issued in accordance with President Obama’s Executive Order on Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance (E.O. 13514), signed on October 5, 2009.

“Under President Obama’s leadership, for the first time, the Federal Government has set a target for reducing its greenhouse gas pollution,” said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “In order to manage their greenhouse gas pollution, Federal Agencies must have a consistent methodology for measuring GHG emissions. This Draft Guidance proposes government-wide requirements for Federal agencies for measuring and reporting GHG emissions associated with agency operations, and is an important step forward in meeting our goal.”

The Executive Order on Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy and Economic Performance called on the Federal Government to lead by example towards building a clean energy economy, including measuring, reporting, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from direct and indirect activities. The Executive Order requires Federal agencies to establish and report a comprehensive inventory of absolute greenhouse gas emissions to the CEQ and the Office of Management and Budget.

The President directed the Department of Energy (DOE), in coordination with the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Defense, General Services Administration, Department of the Interior, Department of Commerce, and other agencies as appropriate, to develop recommended Federal GHG reporting and accounting procedures. DOE submitted the final recommendations procedures to the Chair of CEQ to issue pursuant to Executive Order 13514.

The draft guidance is accompanied by a separate Draft Technical Support Document that provides detailed information on Federal inventory reporting requirements and calculation methodologies. Both documents are available on the Federal Register for public comment or on the CEQ website at www.whitehouse.gov/ceq/sustainability.

The draft guidance is available for public comment through September 1, 2010.

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