The U.S. EPA has added underground coal mines and industrial wastewater plants to the list of facilities that must track their greenhouse gas emissions and report them. In addition, magnesium production plants and industrial waste landfills will be required to submit annual reports on emissions, although no regulations to control emissions have been implemented yet.
The final rule for Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases from Magnesium Production, Underground Coal Mines, Industrial Wastewater Treatment, and Industrial Waste Landfills (40 CFR Part 98) was issued on June 28, 2010. This action amends the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHG Reporting Program) requirements. In addition, this action states the EPA’s final decision not to include ethanol production and food processing as distinct subparts in the GHG Reporting Program, as well as the final decision not to include suppliers of coal at this time. With this final rule, the EPA has taken action on all outstanding source categories and subparts from the April 2009 proposal for the GHG Reporting Program.
These new source categories will begin collecting emissions data on January 1, 2011, with the first annual reports to be submitted to the EPA by March 31, 2012.