The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that it is ending its Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP), effectively halting the federal requirement of polluters to report how much greenhouse gases they release into the atmosphere. As a result, there will be substantially less information about how many of these emissions are being put into the atmosphere every year. This is part of a broader effort by the Trump Administration to reduce regulation of the energy industry, and hinder broader efforts to fight climate change.
What is the GHGRP?
The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, or GHGRP, is a federal program run by the EPA that requires many types of businesses to report the amount of greenhouse gas emissions they emitted. This program affects a variety of different types of companies that are known to produce high levels of greenhouse gas emissions, including coal-fire power plants, oil refineries, and steel mills, among others. The emissions measured included carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, among others.
Why is it Being Ended?
The program is being brought to an end as part of a broader effort by the current EPA to deregulate the energy industry, including making it easier for them to release greenhouse gas emissions without consequence. This will both save money for companies who no longer need to comply with the program’s requirements, as well as make it harder to prove when polluters are exceeding federal emissions limits. Lee Zeldin, director of the EPA, referred to the GHGRP as “nothing more than bureaucratic red tape” and boasted that ending the program could save affected companies as much as $2.4 billion in reporting costs alone.
What Are the Potential Effects of This Action?
In the near term, ending the GHGRP will mostly have the effect of helping the bottom line of polluters, as emissions are unlikely to change much in the next few weeks or months. However, it does mean that companies will likely start scaling back their efforts to limit pollution, which means greenhouse gas emissions will start to increase at a faster rate than they already were. People who live near these polluters will also likely begin to suffer more negative health consequences due to higher levels of air pollution, which are no longer being mitigated.
Why Does This Matter?
Having accurate, up to date information about polluters can be essential to hold them accountable when people are harmed due to their pollution. With the government now pulling back on its efforts to fight greenhouse gasses and other forms of pollution, it is more important than ever to be aware of your personal legal options. That is why, if you or someone you love had suffered harm due to pollution, you should speak to a lawyer with experience handling environmental law cases, who can help you get the justice you deserve.
Williams Cedar is a law firm dedicated to helping clients with personal injury, environmental law, and civil rights cases. We specialize in assisting clients who have been injured due to exposure to environmental toxins, including veterans and their loved ones. If you need legal assistance due to toxic exposure or other related matters, please give us a call at our New Jersey and Pennsylvania offices at (215) 557-0099, or visit our contact page.