EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Deadline to Be Extended

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced its intention to extend the 2011 reporting deadline for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from March 31 to some undetermined date later this year. As described in last month's Venable Environmental Law Alert, the GHG reporting obligation arises from EPA's October 2009 GHG rule requiring that approximately 10,000 covered entities start collecting data on GHG emissions beginning with calendar year 2010.

In a recent press release, EPA explains that it is extending this year's reporting so that it can continue to test and refine the online reporting tool it has developed for covered entities to file their GHG emissions reports. An official extension of the reporting deadline will be issued before the existing March 31 reporting deadline. While EPA has not yet specified what the new deadline will be, an EPA spokesperson expects reporting to begin in late summer.