U.S. EPA Experience in
Applying the IPCC Guidelines
Melissa Weitz
U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency
July 1, 2014

Overview• Background: Use of IPCC Guidance in U.S.
National Inventory• General Considerations for Use of IPCC Guidelines
for Other Applications• Example: Climate Leaders• Example: Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program• Example: Federal Agency GHG Accounting• Example: National Environmental Policy Act2

Use of IPCC Guidelines in U.S.
GHG Inventory– General use of higher tiers and 2006 IPCC Guidance– National or regional statistics for activity data
• e.g. input data on forestry from USFS, data on energy fromEIA– Country-specific models and emission factors• Emission factors typically developed from direct
measurement– Use of facility-level reporting program data (GHGRP)• Updated emission factors and activity data
• QA/QC--Draft Deliberative --3

Considerations for IPCC
Guidance in Other Applications• Each project type is a collection of emissions sources• Most common emissions sources for project types listed– Stationary combustion– Mobile combustion– Land use• Classification of emission sources– Direct– Indirect• Project boundaries to consider in classification– Construction and operation of project– Upstream and downstream emissions from project development• Upstream emissions (e.g., extraction and production of materials used bythe project; exploration and production of fossil fuels at project)• Downstream emissions associated with use of those fuels produced byproject• Activities without GHG emissions or methods to calculate– Not all activities at a project will emit GHGs

Resources needed to Calculate GHG
Emissions
Resources
NeededMethodologies
Project
development,
operation, andmanagement

Data
InputsEmission
Factors

Activity Data-EIS data, plus-Any otherdata needed

StationaryCombustion

MobileSources

Land-useactivities
5Climate Leaders Offsets
Protocols• Climate Leaders (2002-2011) was an EPA industry/government
partnership that worked with companies to develop comprehensive
climate change strategies– Partners could use reductions and/or removals that occur outside of their corporateboundary (i.e., offsets) to help to meet their goals• EPA developed offset guidance based on a top-down performancestandard approach to address additionality and to select and set thebaseline– Use of methodologies, based on IPCC guidance to quantify reduced emissions• Performance standard protocols developed for several project types–––––––

Commercial boiler
Industrial boiler
Landfill Methane
Anaerobic digesters
Transportation – Bus fleet
Afforestation/Reforestation
End-use of methane--Draft Deliberative --6

EPA Offset Methodology Steps
1.
2.
3.
4.

5.
6.
7.

Clearly Define the Project Type• Location, technology, size
Define Project Boundary• Physical, GHG, temporal, leakage
Determine Regulatory Eligibility• Federal, state and local
Develop and Apply the Performance Threshold and Emissions
Baseline• Determination of Additionality – performance threshold(emissions rate, technology, practice)• Baseline for calculation – emission baseline
Estimate Project Emission Reductions• Software tool, Model or Equations
Implement Project, Monitor Emissions• Limited set of acceptable monitoring approaches – direct
metering, modeling
Quantify Project GHG Emissions Reductions

Example from Climate
Leaders: Anaerobic Digesters• Emissions reductions = Baseline emissions – project emissions• Baseline emissions calculated with IPCC-based methods– Methods and emission factors to calculate CH4 from baseline manure
management system type
• Volume 4, Chapter 10: Emissions from Livestock and Manure
Management– Energy use associated with baseline system• Volume 2• Project emissions are equal to amount of CH4 not combusted by digester,
any project-related energy emissions– Measurements of CH4 captured by digester, estimate of collection and combustion
efficiency– Energy use associated with project• Volume 2--Draft Deliberative --8

GHGRP• EPA regulation requiring annual reporting of GHGs by 41
source categories– 33 types of direct emitters– 6 types of suppliers of fuel and industrial GHGs
– Facilities that inject CO2 underground for geologic sequestration,enhanced oil recovery, or any other purpose• Most source categories began collecting data in 2010, with
first annual reports submitted to EPA in September 2011
• Facilities use uniform methods prescribed by the EPA to calculate GHG
emissions, such as direct measurement, engineering calculations, oremission factors derived from direct measurement– In some cases, facilities have a choice of calculation methods for anemission source• Direct reporting to EPA electronically• EPA verification of GHG data--Draft Deliberative --9

Example from GHGRP• 2006 IPCC guidance on solid waste disposal sites– Discourages mass balance approach• Produces results that are not comparable with the FOD method which
produces more accurate estimates of annual emissions.

– Provides instead a Tier 1 version of the FOD method• Includes a simple spreadsheet model with step-by-step guidance andimproved default data

• GHGRP Subpart HH—Municipal Solid Waste Landfills– MSW landfills that generate 25,000 tons CO2e or more must report
GHG data and other information to EPA– CH4 generation calculated using FOD equations from 2006 IPCCguidance• Volume 5, Chapter 3, solid waste--Draft Deliberative --10

Example from GHGRP• IPCC 2006 guidance on geologic sequestration (GS)– Volume 2—Energy. Chapter 5 Carbon Dioxide Transport, Injection, and GeologicalStorage• Methodologies for the estimation of emissions from capture, transport, injection, and GSof CO2• Based on principle that the CCS system should be accounted for in a complete andconsistent manner across the entire Inventory– For GS, the IPCC guidelines outlines a Tier 3 methodology for estimating andreporting emissions based on site-specific evaluations of each storage site

• GHGRP Subpart RR: Geologic Sequestration source category– Provides a mechanism for facilities to monitor and report the quantity of CO2
sequestered on an annual basis– Facilities subject to Subpart RR must develop and implement an EPAapproved MRV plan.
– Once a facility has an approved MRV plan, it reports basic information on
CO2 received for injection, the amount of CO2 geologically sequestered using
a mass balance approach and annual monitoring activities.
--Draft Deliberative --11Federal Agency Guidance• Executive Order 13514 calls on Federal agencies anddepartments to lead by example in increasing sustainability
and energy-efficiency across the Federal Government• Order requires federal agencies to submit GHG inventories
annually• Guidance on Federal Greenhouse Gas Accounting andReporting establishes Government-wide requirements formeasuring and reporting GHG associated with Federal
agency operations– Guidance serves as the Federal Government’s official Greenhouse Gas
Protocol and was used by Federal agencies to develop their GHG inventories• GHG Reporting Portal provides GHG calculation
functionality for default calculation methodologies– Most default methods directly from or based on IPCC guidance--Draft Deliberative --12

Example from Federal Agency
Guidance• Agency guidance for calculating CH4 and N2O emissions
from onsite wastewater treatment and septic systems• Methods consistent with IPCC
• Default methodology uses national averages to determine thetreatment processes and operating variables– Inputs are type of wastewater treatment system, population
served• Advanced methodology approach uses facility-specificwastewater treatment processes and operating variables– Inputs are type of wastewater treatment system, population
served, digester gas, fraction of CH4 in biogas, BOD5 load,
fraction of BOD5 removal performance, N load--Draft Deliberative --13

NEPA
• National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) signed into law in1970– Establishes national environmental policy and goals for theprotection, maintenance, and enhancement of the environment– Provides a process for implementing these goals within the federal
agencies• Requires an environmental impact statement for any major
Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the humanenvironment– Statements assess environmental impact of and alternatives to major
federal actions significantly affecting the environment– Includes direct, indirect and cumulative effects--Draft Deliberative --14

NEPA and GHG• 2010 NEPA draft guidance on considering greenhouse gas emissions andclimate change in their proposed actions• Explains how Federal agencies should analyze environmental impacts ofgreenhouse gas emissions and climate change when assessing
environmental impacts of a proposed action• Provides examples of tools and programs for calculating emissions– EPA Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program methods and tools forquantification of emissions from large direct emitters, and for determining
whether projects or actions exceed the 25,000 metric ton of CO2-equivalentgreenhouse gas emissions (uses IPCC guidance)– Agency Guidance for quantification of Scope 1 emissions at Federal facilities(uses IPCC guidance)– Department of Energy Voluntary reporting of GHG guidance forquantification of emissions and removals from terrestrial carbon
sequestration and various other project types--Draft Deliberative --15

Example for calculating GHGfor NEPA
Project Example: Mining
Relevant source categories• Stationary combustion: Stationary Internal Combustion
Engines, Process Heaters/Coal Dryers• Mobile sources: motor vehicles and engines, nonroadvehicles and engines• Land-use: land-clearing• Potential fugitive methane emissions
Examples of applicable GHG calculations tools & resources• IPCC methods for Energy (Volume 2)– Chapter 2: Stationary combustion, Chapter 3: Mobile combustion,
Chapter 4: Fugitive emissions• IPCC methods for Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use
16(Volume 4)

Other U.S. Examples• California• IRS tax credits• Biomass--Draft Deliberative --17

Thank you--Draft Deliberative --18