EPA Releases Proposal to End the Burdensome, Costly Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, Saving up to $2.4 Billion

EPA Releases Proposal to End the Burdensome, Costly Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, Saving up to $2.4 Billion

September 12, 2025

WASHINGTON- Today, in accordance with President Trump's Day One executive orders, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced a proposed rule to end the burdensome Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP), saving American businesses up to $2.4 billion in regulatory costs while maintaining the agency's statutory obligations under the Clean Air Act (CAA). Unlike other mandatory information collections under the CAA, the GHGRP is not directly related to a potential regulation and has no material impact on improving human health and the environment. If finalized, the proposal would remove reporting obligations for most large facilities, all fuel and industrial gas suppliers, and CO2injection sites.

"Alongside President Trump, EPA continues to live up to the promise of unleashing energy dominance that powers the American Dream. The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program is nothing more than bureaucratic red tape that does nothing to improve air quality," said EPA Administrator Zeldin. "Instead, it costs American businesses and manufacturing billions of dollars, driving up the cost of living, jeopardizing our nation's prosperity and hurting American communities. With this proposal, we show once again that fulfilling EPA's statutory obligations and Powering the Great American Comeback is not a binary choice."

By reducing the overall regulatory burden, current regulated parties will be able to focus compliance expenditures on actual, tangible environmental benefits. As the agency continues to Power the Great American Comeback, this proposal represents a significant step toward streamlining operations, cutting unnecessary red tape, unleashing American energy, and advancing EPA's core mission of protecting human health and the environment.

The GHGRP requires 47 source categories, covering over 8,000 facilities and suppliers in the U.S. to calculate and submit their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reporting annually. Following a careful review, EPA proposed that there is no requirement under CAA section 114(a) to collect GHG emission information from businesses nor is continuing the ongoing costly data collection useful to fulfill any of the agency's statutory obligations. Therefore, EPA is proposing to remove all GHG reporting requirements, except for those subject to the Waste Emissions Charge (WEC).

CAA section 136 only requires data collection for segments of subpart W (petroleum and natural gas systems) subject to the WEC. On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which amended CAA section 136(g), so that the WEC now applies to emissions reported for calendar year 2034 and for each year thereafter. In accordance with the law, EPA will not be collecting subpart W data until 2034.

EPA will initiate a public comment period to solicit input. Further information on the public comment process and instructions for participation will be published in the Federal Registerand on the EPA website.

For more information on the proposed rule and how to comment, please see EPA's fact sheet here.

Background

On March 12, 2025, Administrator Zeldin announced that the agency was reconsidering the GHGRP. This was announced in conjunction with a number of historic actions to advance President Trump's Day One executive orders and Power the Great American Comeback. While accomplishing EPA's core mission of protecting human health and the environment, the agency is committed to fulfilling President Trump's promise to unleash American energy.

Congress authorized funding for the creation of the GHGRP in the Fiscal Year 2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act. The Obama EPA promulgated the program and began collecting data in 2010. The GHGRP currently requires reporting of GHG data from certain large GHG emission sources, fuel and industrial gas suppliers, and CO2injection sites.

November 18, 2024, the Biden EPA issued the final WEC rule to implement the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act's methane tax provisions. Congress amended the CAA by adding section 136, "Methane Emissions and Waste Reduction Incentive Program for Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems." Among other things, CAA section 136 (c)-(g) required EPA to impose and collect a waste emission charge on methane emissions that exceeded specified thresholds from applicable facilities that reported more than 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e) of GHGs under the petroleum and natural gas systems subpart W source category.

On March 14, 2025, President Trump signed a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act, disapproving the November 2024 final WEC rule.