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Important Information for Massachusetts Greenhouse Gas Reporters!
December 2009

With its mandatory deadline for reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions rapidly approaching, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) held two reporting informational meetings on the 10^th and 11^th of December 2009.  The presentation was jointly given by the MassDEP and representatives of The Climate Registry, the firm that will be managing the GHG reporting system.

Facilities with carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from stationary combustion of fossil fuels of greater than 5,000 short tons in calendar year 2009 must report their CO2 emissions to the state reporting system by April 15, 2010.

The following is a summary of items discussed at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s (MassDEP) information meetings held on December 10^th and 11^th related to the mandatory GHG reporting which will occur by April 15, 2010. 

General

• Reporting will be done to a dedicated registry (Massachusetts GHG Registry) operated by The Climate Registry (TCR). This will be a subset of the TCR Climate Registry Information System (CRIS) database.

• A facility does not need to join TCR to report to the Massachusetts registry. Massachusetts facilities will have a separate login.

• If you are currently reporting to TCR voluntarily you have the option of extending the state reporting deadline to June 30, 2010. If you choose to take the extension you must notify the MassDEP no later than March 15, 2010.

• There will be no connection to the MassDEP eDEP reporting system and no data will be shared with it.

• There will be a “significant” setup required for reporting the first time. Similar to setting up source registration reporting in eDEP.

• Registration in 2009 has no bearing going forward.

  • If your facility registered in 2009 but your CO2 emissions in 2009 are below 5,000 tons then you are not required to report.

Reporting

• Reporting will be done online utilizing TCR software.

• There will be an online training tool for the registry.

• 2009 reportable emissions include biomass, but biomass emissions do not count towards determination of applicability.

• Biomass emissions will be reported separately.

• Must use the methodologies contained in TCR General Reporting Protocol (GRP) version 1.1

  • Note: MassDEP has stated that any methodology approved by the EPA for use will be acceptable by the MassDEP.

• Reporting is done annually after the end of the year to be reported. There is no ability to do  “interim” reporting during the reporting year.

• Target for launch of online database is February 2010.

• A dedicated help line and email contact system is scheduled for implementation by mid-January.

Reporting Fee

• The MassDEP has stated that they will be assessing some type of fee for reporting but have not yet determined the size of the fee or how it will be assessed (for example, filing versus annual).

Voluntary Reporting

• “Once in, always in’ does not apply to voluntary reporters.

Training

• The MassDEP expects to have an online training course available in January.

• TCR expects to have online software training available in February.

Motor Vehicles

• Motor vehicle emissions do not count towards determination of applicability.

• Facilities do not need to report leased vehicles if they were used for less than six months in total.

• If a leased vehicle was used for a total greater than six months then emissions should be assigned to the facility that used the vehicle the most.

• Vehicle emissions can be aggregated for like vehicle types (i.e., light duty gas vehicles, heavy duty diesel trucks).

• Employee owned vehicles that receive a stipend for their operation are not included.

Refrigerant Emissions

• Facilities will be required to report lost refrigerant emissions. The GRP has a listing of reportable refrigerant blends in Appendix E.11.

• There is no de minimis for reportable refrigerant emissions.

• Automotive refrigerant losses are to be reported.

Facility Boundaries

• MassDEP defers to the source registration guidelines for determining facility boundaries for reporting.

Verification

• Reporters must hire a third party verifier.

• Firms that assist you in reporting cannot conduct verifications for you.

• Verification firms must be American National Standards Institute (ANSI) certified to ISO standard 14065:2007 and meet additional MassDEP requirements which are not yet finalized.

Questions regarding the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Regulation can be directed to David Cotter at Capaccio Environmental Engineering, Inc. at (508) 970-0033 x133 or by e-mail at dcotter@capaccio.com.

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