Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 310 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION › Title 310 CMR 7.00 - Air Pollution Control › Section 7.71 - Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
(1)
Purpose
. The purpose of 310 CMR 7.71 is to implement
			 the reporting and verification requirement for statewide greenhouse gas
			 emissions and to monitor and ensure compliance with the reporting provisions of
			 M.G.L. c. 21N, the Climate Protection and Green Economy Act, St. 2008, c. 298,
			 § 6.
(2)
Definitions
. The definitions in
			 310 CMR
			 7.00:
Definitions
apply to 310 CMR
			 7.71. The following additional terms have the following meanings when they
			 appear in 310 CMR 7.71. Where a term defined in
			 310 CMR
			 7.00:
Definitions
also appears in 310
			 CMR 7.71, the definition in 310 CMR 7.71 is applicable for the purpose of 310
			 CMR 7.71.
Carbon Dioxide Equivalent
. The amount
				of carbon dioxide by weight that would produce the same amount of global
				warming impact as a given weight of another greenhouse gas, based on the best
				available science, including information from the Intergovernmental Panel on
				Climate Change. The global warming potentials included in 40 CFR Part 98 shall
				be used to quantify and report greenhouse gas emissions in carbon dioxide
				equivalents pursuant to 310 CMR 7.71.
Entity
. A person that owns or
				operates, in whole or in part, a source of greenhouse gas emissions from a
				generator of electricity or a commercial or industrial site including, but not
				limited to, a transportation fleet.
Facility
. A building, structure or
				installation located on contiguous or adjacent properties of an entity, or a
				natural gas facility.
Greenhouse Gas
. Any chemical or
				physical substance that is emitted into the air and that the Department may
				reasonably anticipate will cause or contribute to climate change including, but
				not limited to, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons,
				perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, and any other gas for which 40 CFR Part
				98 includes a method for calculating greenhouse gas emissions from any
				stationary emissions source.
Method
. A way of calculating
				greenhouse gas emissions provided in 40 CFR Part 98 and any related monitoring,
				reporting, and recordkeeping requirements included in 40 CFR Part 98, but does
				not mean a reporting threshold, specific source category exemption, or any
				other type of requirement.
Natural Gas Facility
. A collection of
				interconnected natural gas containing equipment
(e.g.,
transmission and distribution pipelines, service lines, customer meters,
				compressors, tanks, metering stations, regulating stations, and any other
				interconnected equipment that contains natural gas) that is owned or operated
				by an entity.
Short Ton
. 2000 pounds or 0.9072
				metric tons.
Stationary Emission Source
. Any
				individual stationary piece of equipment or other stationary point from which
				any greenhouse gas is emitted to the ambient air. For the purpose of reporting
				greenhouse gas emissions pursuant to 310 CMR 7.71, a source of greenhouse gas
				emissions located within the facility is a stationary emission source if 40 CFR
				Part 98 includes a method for calculating greenhouse gas emissions that can be
				used to quantify emissions from the source.
(3)
Applicability
.
(a) Any entity owning, operating, or
			 controlling a facility is subject to the requirements of 310 CMR 7.71(4) and
			 (5) if:
1. said facility is required to report
			 air emissions data to the Department pursuant to
			 310 CMR
			 7.00:
Appendix C
(The Air Operating
			 Permit Program) and had stationary emission sources that emitted greenhouse
			 gases during the previous calendar year;
2. said facility has one or more stationary
			 emission sources that collectively emitted greenhouse gases in excess of 5,000
			 short tons of greenhouse gases in carbon dioxide equivalents during the
			 previous calendar year. In determining whether a facility has one or more
			 stationary emission sources that collectively emit greenhouse gases in excess
			 of 5,000 short tons, all greenhouse gas emissions from all stationary emission
			 sources at the facility shall be included; or
3. said facility was subj ect to the
			 requirements of 310 CMR 7.71(3)(a) 1. or 2. in any past year.