The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has extended the deadline for major industrial facilities to report their 2025 greenhouse gas emissions under the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP).
The reporting deadline has been pushed from 31 March to 30 October, giving the agency additional time as it considers finalising a rule that could eliminate reporting requirements for most categories of facilities.
The EPA said the extension would not affect its operations, noting that the reporting programme “has no material impact on improving human health and the environment”.
The GHGRP was created following a 2008 congressional mandate and began collecting emissions data in 2010. The programme currently covers 47 categories of industrial sources, including power plants, refineries, chemical manufacturers, electronics facilities, pulp and paper plants, and waste disposal sites.
In September, the EPA proposed revisions that would permanently remove reporting requirements for all categories except petroleum and natural gas systems, which the agency must continue monitoring under provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The proposal would also delay the reporting requirements for that sector until 2034.
According to the agency, removing reporting obligations could save American businesses at least $303 million annually, as the data collection process has been described as unnecessary and burdensome for reporting entities.
Data from the programme has historically been used to support the U.S. Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, an annual federal report that was halted last year under the administration of President Donald Trump as part of broader efforts to roll back climate-related regulations.
The administration has also moved to overturn the 2009 “endangerment finding”, a key scientific determination that established greenhouse gases as a threat to public health and forms the basis of many federal climate regulations. The reversal has faced legal challenges from several states and environmental groups, and remains under review in the courts.
