[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1999, Book I)]
[April 15, 1999]
[Pages 561-562]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Memorandum on Carbon Dioxide Emissions Reporting
April 15, 1999

Memorandum for the Secretary of Energy, Administrator of the 
Environmental Protection Agency

Subject: Report on Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions

    My Administration's proposal to promote retail competition in the 
electric power industry, if enacted, will help to deliver economic 
savings, cleaner air, and a significant down payment on greenhouse gas 
emissions reductions. The proposal exemplifies my Administration's 
commitment to pursue both economic growth and environmental progress 
simultaneously.
    As action to advance retail competition proceeds at both the State 
and Federal levels, the Administration and the Congress share an 
interest in tracking environmental indicators in this vital sector. We 
must have accurate and frequently updated data.

[[Page 562]]

    Under current law, electric power generators report various types of 
data relating to generation and air emissions to the Department of 
Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). To ensure 
that this data collection is coordinated and provides for timely 
consideration by both the Administration and the Congress, you are 
directed to take the following actions:
    1. On an annual basis, you shall provide me with a report 
summarizing CO2 emissions data collected during the previous 
year from all utility and nonutility electricity generators providing 
power to the grid, beginning with 1998 data. This information shall be 
provided to me no more than 6 months after the end of the previous year, 
and for 1998, within 6 months of the date of this directive.
    2. The report, which may be submitted jointly, shall present 
CO2 emissions information on both a national and regional 
basis, stratified by the type of fuel used for electricity generation, 
and shall indicate the percentage of electricity generated by each type 
of fuel or energy resource. The CO2 emissions shall be 
reported both on the basis of total mass (tons) and output rate (e.g., 
pounds per megawatt-hour).
    3. The report shall present the amount of CO2 reduction 
and other available information from voluntary carbon-reducing and 
carbon-sequestration projects undertaken, both domestically and 
internationally, by the electric utility sector.
    4. The report shall identify the main factors contributing to any 
change in CO2 emissions or CO2 emission rates 
relative to the previous year on a national, and if relevant, regional 
basis. In addition, the report shall identify deviations from the actual 
CO2 emissions, generation, and fuel mix of their most recent 
projections developed by the Department of Energy and the Energy 
Information Administration, pursuant to their existing authorities and 
missions.
    5. In the event that Federal restructuring legislation has not been 
enacted prior to your submission of the report, the report shall also 
include any necessary updates to estimates of the environmental effects 
of my Administration's restructuring legislation.
    6. Neither the DOE nor the EPA may collect new information from 
electricity generators or other parties in order to prepare the report.

                                                      William J. Clinton

Note: An original was not available for verification of the content of 
this memorandum.