Trump's EPA moves to end emissions reporting program for U.S. oil, gas and industrial polluters

(Bloomberg) - The EPA under U.S. President Trump plans to end the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, halting emissions tracking from power plants, industrial facilities, oil refineries and other major polluters. The move could obscure 2.6 billion metric tons of emissions annually while saving businesses $2.4 billion in regulatory costs.

Environmental advocates have pushed back against ending the agency’s long-standing Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, which tracks pollution from some 8,000 sites. According to data, polluters on the inventory reported some 2.6 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2023 — information that companies have leveraged to track efficiency gains, showcase emissions-reduction progress, and benchmark improvements across the sector. 

The move to end the program, which was announced Friday and still needs to be finalized, comes as the agency moves to unwind scores of Biden-era environmental regulations.

“The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program is nothing more than bureaucratic red tape that does nothing to improve air quality,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement. Ending the program would save businesses up to $2.4 billion in regulatory costs, said the agency.