Trump Administration Moves to End Industry Greenhouse Gas Emission Reporting
Washington D.C. – The trump administration is taking steps to eliminate requirements for U.S. industries to report their greenhouse gas emissions, a move critics say will hinder efforts to combat climate change and obscure the scale of pollution. The planned rollback, announced this week, would dismantle a key component of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP).
Established in 2009, the GHGRP mandates annual reporting of emissions from major industrial sources, including power plants, oil and gas facilities, and manufacturers. The data collected is crucial for tracking national emissions trends,informing policy decisions,and holding polluters accountable. Removing this requirement will complicate efforts to calculate the country’s total greenhouse gas footprint – the United States is currently the second largest emitter globally, behind China – and potentially underestimate the true extent of industrial pollution.
“once again, this administration is trying to hide the data in order to hide the damage,” stated Julie McNamara of the Union of Concerned Scientists to the France-Presse Agency (AFP). “If we cannot say what a business does,we cannot hold it responsible.”
The move is the latest in a series of actions taken by the Trump administration to weaken environmental regulations and promote fossil fuel production since President Trump’s return to power. His campaign has received significant funding from the petroleum sector, and his administration has consistently prioritized energy independence over climate action. This latest decision follows previous efforts to unravel Obama-era climate policies and facilitate oil and gas development.
The administration’s decision comes as global pressure mounts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit global warming.The rollback is expected to face legal challenges from environmental groups and states opposed to the administration’s climate policies.