[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 201 (Thursday, October 17, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64106-64107]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-26396]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Voluntary Reporting Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting Program

AGENCY: Office of Policy and International Affairs, Department of 
Energy.

ACTION: Notice of public workshops.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (We, DOE, or the Department) will 
hold four public workshops to enable interested persons to discuss and 
provide comments on possible improvements to the guidelines that now 
govern the Department of Energy's Voluntary Greenhouse Gas Reporting 
Program. These workshops are intended to assist DOE and other 
participating agencies in their efforts to enhance the reporting of 
greenhouse gas emissions and emission reductions, as directed by the 
President on February 14, 2002. Each of the four workshops are expected 
to address the full range of issues related to the Department of 
Energy's Voluntary Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting (1605b) Program.

DATES: The Department will hold four public workshops, as follows:

Washington DC, November 18-19, 2002.
Chicago, December 5-6, 2002.
San Francisco, December 9-10, 2002.
Houston, December 12-13, 2002.

    At least three weeks before each workshop, all persons who plan to 
attend are requested to register with the Department through the 
following website: http://www.pi.energy.gov/enhancingGHGregistry/index.html. After these workshops, the Department will continue to 
accept comments, data, and information regarding the issues addressed 
at the workshops, but such information must be received by no later 
than Friday, December 20, 2002, in order to ensure full consideration 
during the Department's development of revised program guidelines, 
which are expected to be formally proposed early in 2003.

ADDRESSES: The workshops will be held at the following locations:

Washington DC, Hilton Crystal City at National Airport, 2399 Jefferson 
Davis Highway, Arlington, VA 22202.
Chicago, Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Hotel Sofitel Chicago 
O'Hare, 5555 and 5550 North River Road, Rosemont, IL 60018.
San Francisco, Best Western Grosvenor Hotel, 380 South Airport 
Boulevard So., San Francisco, CA 94080.
Houston, Houston Airport Marriott, 18700 John Kennedy Blvd., Houston, 
TX 77032.

    Persons interested in registering for any of these four workshops 
or in obtaining more information about DOE's efforts to improve the 
existing Voluntary Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program should visit the 
following website: http://www.pi.energy.gov/enhancingGHGregistry/index.html. Inquiries regarding these workshops may be e-mailed to 
[email protected]. Hardcopy inquiries regarding these 
workshops may also be mailed to Mark Friedrichs, PT-20 Office of Policy 
and International Affairs, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence 
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC, 20585-0121. [Note: due to precautionary 
screening of mail to Federal offices, some delays should be expected.] 
Any follow-up comments or other relevant information should be e-mailed 
to [email protected].
    The website will be used to make available draft and final workshop 
agendas, information on lodging, any background papers that are made 
available before the workshops, transcripts of each workshop, and 
comments or other information submitted after the workshops. For 
persons without ready access to the internet, this website can be 
viewed at the Freedom of Information Reading Room (Room 1E-190) at the 
U.S. Department of Energy, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence 
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Friedrichs, PI-20, Office of 
Policy and International Affairs, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 
Independence Avenue, SW.,

[[Page 64107]]

Washington, DC 20585-0121, e-mail: [email protected] or phone 
202-481-8550.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DOE's existing Voluntary Greenhouse Gas 
Reporting Program was mandated by section 1605(b) of Energy Policy Act 
of 1992. The current program operates under guidelines issued by the 
Department on October 19, 1994 (59 FR 52769). These guidelines give 
program participants considerable flexibility. As a consequence of this 
flexibility, the reports of greenhouse gas emissions or emissions 
reductions submitted to DOE are often not consistent, complete or 
verifiable.
    On February 14, 2002, the President:

    Directed the Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the 
Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the 
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to propose 
improvements of the current voluntary emissions reduction 
registration program under section 1605(b) of the 1992 Energy Policy 
Act within 120 days. These improvements will enhance measurement 
accuracy, reliability, and verifiability, working with and taking 
into account emerging domestic and international approaches.
    Directed the Secretary of Energy to recommend reforms to ensure 
that businesses and individuals that register reductions are not 
penalized under a future climate policy and to give transferable 
credits to companies that can show real emissions reductions.

    To achieve these objectives it will be necessary to supplement or 
supplant the existing guidelines with new, more rigorous reporting 
requirements.
    On May 6, 2002, the Department of Energy solicited public comments 
on various issues relevant to its efforts to implement the President's 
directives.
    After consideration of these public comments, the Secretaries of 
Energy, Commerce and Agriculture, and the Administrator of the 
Environmental Protection Agency wrote the President on July 8, 2002, 
stating that improvements to the existing Voluntary Greenhouse Gas 
Reporting Program should:
    1. Develop fair, objective, and practical methods for reporting 
baselines, reporting boundaries, calculating real results, and awarding 
transferable credits for actions that lead to real reductions.
    2. Standardize widely accepted, transparent accounting methods.
    3. Support independent verification of registry reports.
    4. Encourage reporters to report greenhouse gas intensity 
(emissions per unit of output) as well as emissions or emissions 
reductions.
    5. Encourage corporate or entity-wide reporting.
    6. Provide credits for actions to remove carbon dioxide from the 
atmosphere as well as for actions to reduce emissions.
    7. Develop a process for evaluating the extent to which past 
reductions may qualify for credits.
    8. Assure the voluntary reporting program is an effective tool for 
reaching the 18 percent goal.
    9. Factor in international strategies as well as State-level 
efforts.
    10. Minimize transactions costs for reporters and administrative 
costs for the Government, where possible, without compromising the 
foregoing recommendations.
    These workshops are intended to help us determine the specific 
improvements that should be made to the Department's guidelines by 
encouraging open dialogue among all of the utilities, businesses, 
institutions, environmental groups, individuals and other affected 
interests. Through these workshops, we hope to receive as much 
constructive input to this process as possible.
    The Presidential directives that began our review of the existing 
program guidelines, and the objectives identified in the July 8 letter 
to the President, are the starting point of our current efforts. Most 
of the issues that need to be addressed and resolved as part of this 
process fall into two broad categories: Emission Reporting and Emission 
Reductions. In both areas, we will be endeavoring to develop more 
rigorous guidelines that will help encourage future reports that are 
reliable, objective and verifiable. Another key objective is that the 
guidelines should encourage full reporting by the broadest possible 
spectrum of utilites, businesses and institutions responsible for 
greenhouse gas emissions.
    A full agenda and various other materials will be made available 
prior to the workshop at: http://www.pi.energy.gov/enhancingGHGregistry/index.html.

    Issued in Washington, DC on 10 October, 2002.
Barton W. Marcois,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Policy and 
International Affairs.
[FR Doc. 02-26396 Filed 10-16-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-M