EPA move to end climate emissions tracking leaves public in the dark
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is planning to gut a key greenhouse gas reporting program, making it harder to track the country’s biggest climate polluters.
Sharon Lerner reports for ProPublica.
In short:
- A Trump-appointed EPA official is pushing to eliminate emissions reporting for most industrial polluters, slashing oversight from 8,000 to just 2,300 facilities.
- The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program has tracked up to 90% of U.S. climate pollution since 2010 and is widely used by regulators, businesses, and international partners.
- Experts warn the rollback would erode accountability, hinder climate policy, and give other countries an excuse to abandon climate cooperation.
Key quote:
“It would be a bit like unplugging the equipment that monitors the vital signs of a patient that is critically ill.”
— Edward Maibach, professor, George Mason University
Why this matters:
Under the radar, the EPA is proposing to gut a massive emissions tracking program that’s been the backbone of U.S. climate accountability. Since 2010, the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program has been the tool regulators rely on to hold polluters to account. The consequences could be devastating. Less data means less oversight for thousands of industrial facilities across the United States. Less oversight means more climate-warming pollution and much less accountability for the corporations responsible.
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