EPA Reportedly Plans to Stop Collecting Data about Climate Pollution

“According to news reports, the Environmental Protection Agency is planning to eviscerate the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program – a vital source of public information about the climate pollution that increases smog and causes the extreme storms and fires that millions of Americans are facing. That would mean we’d lose a significant portion of our information about the climate pollution emitted by facilities, and even by entire economic sectors. It would hamstring our ability to track that pollution over time, to address climate change and protect human health.

“The public has a right to know how much climate pollution is being released into our air. Hiding the data doesn’t make the problem go away, it only makes it more difficult to address. It will undermine commonsense solutions if we cloak this vital information in secrecy and darkness.

“Under our nation’s foundational clean air laws, EPA has the legal responsibility to require emissions reporting and must make emissions data publicly available. The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program dates back more than 15 years to when Congress first directed EPA to require climate pollution reporting for large industrial emitters. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin should uphold this responsibility to the American people.”

            - Edwin LaMair, Senior Attorney, Environmental Defense Fund 

EPA delayed the deadline for companies to report their 2024 emissions in March. EDF has filed a lawsuit challenging that action.