EPA Ends Greenhouse Gas Data Collection: Can NGOs Fill the Critical Gap?

The Environmental Protection Agency's recent announcement to stop collecting greenhouse gas emissions data from major polluting companies has created a significant void in the United States' climate monitoring infrastructure. This decision eliminates a crucial tool that has been fundamental to tracking emissions and shaping climate policy for the past 15 years. As the federal government steps back from this critical function, attention is turning to whether climate-focused nongovernmental organizations possess both the technical capabilities and legal standing to fill this essential role.

The Critical Role of Greenhouse Gas Reporting

The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) has served as the backbone of the United States' air quality reporting system since its inception. Under this program, the EPA collected comprehensive data on carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases from sources across the country that exceeded specific emission thresholds. This included major contributors such as power plants, oil and gas refineries, and chemical facilities. The data collected through this program was not only publicly accessible but also formed the foundation of federal climate policy development.

Joseph Goffman, former assistant administrator at the EPA's Office of Air and Radiation, emphasizes the program's importance, stating that shutting it down severely hampers "the government's basic practical capacity to formulate climate policy." Understanding which emissions-reduction technologies are effective and tracking decarbonization progress across different industries becomes extremely challenging without this standardized data collection system.

Nongovernmental Alternatives Emerge

In recent years, various climate organizations have developed sophisticated methods for calculating greenhouse gas emissions using a combination of federal, state, industry, and private data sources. These groups employ advanced technologies including satellite monitoring, artificial intelligence modeling, and comprehensive data analysis to create tools that help policymakers and the public understand emission sources and their impacts.

One of the most prominent efforts is Climate TRACE, a coalition founded in 2019 with initial support from Google. The organization has grown to include over 100 collaborating groups and has developed sophisticated AI models that combine data from various sources to track and model global emissions. Gavin McCormick, cofounder of Climate TRACE, notes the ironic timing of the EPA's decision, explaining that their project was built on the premise that "America has the world's best emissions monitoring, and other countries could reduce emissions faster if they got up to the same quality as America."

Legal and Practical Challenges

Despite technological advancements, significant barriers prevent NGOs from fully replacing the EPA's data collection role. The EPA's reporting requirements are backed by legal authority that nongovernmental entities cannot replicate. As Goffman points out, "A nongovernmental entity really can't require" the same level of mandatory reporting that the federal agency could enforce through regulatory power.

Standardization presents another major challenge. Kevin Gurney, a professor of atmospheric science at Northern Arizona University, explains that without the EPA's central coordinating role, "Fifty entities turning in data files, which are massively complex, is just a huge endeavor." The agency served as a crucial data arbiter, ensuring compliance with standardization protocols that made the information usable for policy development and analysis.

Legal questions also arise about whether nongovernmental emissions estimates could withstand judicial scrutiny if policies based on this data were challenged in court. Recent legislation in Louisiana that restricts the use of low-cost emissions monitoring devices for legal complaints highlights the complex legal landscape surrounding alternative data collection methods.

Industry Interest and Global Implications

Interestingly, the concern about maintaining emissions data extends beyond environmental groups. Major industries, particularly oil and gas companies with international operations, have financial incentives to continue tracking their emissions. Companies selling to markets like Europe, which is implementing strict methane requirements for imported gas, need reliable emissions data to maintain market access and comply with international standards.

McCormick reports that since the EPA's announcement, Climate TRACE has been inundated with inquiries from companies asking if they should begin reporting to the organization. "It's not obvious to me that we are the right vehicle for that," he says, "But there are very clear business interests in why companies would want to continue reporting even though they don't have to."

The Path Forward

While nongovernmental organizations can approximate some aspects of the EPA's data collection system, experts agree that a complete replacement is unlikely. The combination of legal authority, standardization capabilities, and comprehensive coverage that the federal agency provided through the GHGRP represents a unique function that cannot be fully replicated by private entities.

As the United States navigates this transition in climate data collection, the collaboration between remaining EPA staff, academic institutions, and nongovernmental organizations may offer the most promising approach. However, the loss of standardized, legally-mandated reporting represents a significant setback for evidence-based climate policy development in the United States, with potential implications for both domestic environmental protection and international climate commitments.