James Van Orden is quoted in a Bloomberg Tax article discussing the Environmental Protection Agency’s plan to terminate a program that requires large emitters to report greenhouse gas emissions. The removal of the decades-old Greenhouse Gas Program would be a large step backwards in U.S. climate efforts, as well as a potential disadvantage for companies. While the EPA argues that there is no requirement under the Clean Air Act’s Section 114 to collect emissions information, many contest that companies, states, and the federal government could lose a significant method of inventorying emissions, and would leave few other options in the absence of the program.

Greenhouse gas reporting is still required under the Inflation Reduction Act’s waste emissions charge, though it was repealed by Congress this year. “Withdrawal of the clarity and uniformity of the federal GHG Reporting Rule system will leave a void that will likely be filled in a potentially inefficient and incomplete patchwork manner by forward-thinking states,” said James. Companies’ environmental, social, and governance performance metrics would be affected by the lack of an inventory system, and U.S. competitiveness worldwide could be impacted when compared to other countries that still properly account for their emissions.

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