New EPA Reporting Rules Announced

Starting Jan. 1, 2010 the EPA will be tracking greenhouse gas emissions:

"The new rule will require about 10,000 facilities that emit about 85 percent of the nation's greenhouse gases to begin to collect emissions data under a new reporting system, EPA said. Suppliers of fossil fuels and industrial greenhouse gases, motor vehicle and engine manufacturers and other facilities that emit 25,000 metric tons or more of carbon dioxide equivalent will be subject to the new requirements."

This may not impact the construction industry directly, at least at first, but it will have a major indirect impact via suppliers, transportation, machinery, etc. More importantly, it is the next major step towards complete transparency in environmental impact disclosure.