Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program: Addition of Global Warming Potentials to the General Provisions and Amendments and Confidentiality Determinations for Fluorinated Gas Production

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is adding chemical- specific and default global warming potentials (GWPs) for a number of fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-GHGs) and fluorinated heat transfer fluids (F-HTFs) to the general provisions of the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule. Currently, these fluorinated GHGs and HTFs are not assigned GWPs under the rule. The changes will increase the completeness and accuracy of the carbon dioxide (CO<INF>2</INF>)- equivalent emissions calculated and reported by suppliers and emitters of fluorinated GHGs and HTFs. The EPA is also making conforming changes to the provisions for the Electronics Manufacturing and Fluorinated Gas Production source categories. In addition, the EPA is amending certain provisions of the Fluorinated Gas Production source category to reduce the level of detail in which emissions are reported, eliminate the mass-balance emission calculation method, and clarify the emission factor method. These amendments also include an alternative verification approach for this source category in lieu of collecting certain data elements for which the EPA has identified disclosure concerns and for which the reporting deadline was deferred until March 31, 2015. In addition, this action establishes confidentiality determinations for certain reporting requirements of the Fluorinated Gas Production source category.