2008 Woodie Awards
Businesses use registry to track carbon emissions
Rebecca Kelley
Issue date: 4/25/08 Section: Community
Although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has yet to regulate carbon emissions, some companies are taking steps to monitor themselves through a reporting initiative called the Climate Registry.
According to Heidi Griesmer, spokesperson for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), currently, there are no efforts from the national EPA to monitor carbon dioxide emissions from businesses and factories.
"The emissions from facilities aren't being monitored," Griesmer said.
In turn, the Ohio EPA does not enforce any carbon dioxide regulations or limits for public or private establishments.
According to Griesmer, this is because they fall under the jurisdiction of the U.S. EPA.
"(The) Ohio EPA can't go out and start doing things that (the) U.S. EPA isn't doing yet," Griesmer said. "State law prevents us from having regulations that are more stringent in some ways than the federal."
According to Griesmer, the U.S EPA monitors and regulates the emissions of other greenhouse gases and pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide, lead and ozone, but they are leaving the monitoring of carbon dioxide to the individual establishment.
Griesmer said that the EPA encourages companies to track their own emissions in order to come up with a policy to reduce emissions.
"We are doing things to help climate change," Griesmer said.
Ohio has taken some steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, namely by joining the Climate Registry in the fall of 2007.
According to Griesmer, the Climate Registry is an international organization for government and private companies to make a commitment to track their carbon emissions. The registry was incorporated in March of 2007.
Chris Korleski, director of the Ohio EPA, sent a letter to businesses in Ohio in January encouraging them to join the Climate Registry. Korleski said in the letter that the Climate Registry is a way for businesses to prepare for possible national regulatory requirements by tracking their emissions, and comparing them to the informal standards set up by the EPA and the Climate Registry.
According to Heidi Griesmer, spokesperson for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), currently, there are no efforts from the national EPA to monitor carbon dioxide emissions from businesses and factories.
"The emissions from facilities aren't being monitored," Griesmer said.
In turn, the Ohio EPA does not enforce any carbon dioxide regulations or limits for public or private establishments.
According to Griesmer, this is because they fall under the jurisdiction of the U.S. EPA.
"(The) Ohio EPA can't go out and start doing things that (the) U.S. EPA isn't doing yet," Griesmer said. "State law prevents us from having regulations that are more stringent in some ways than the federal."
According to Griesmer, the U.S EPA monitors and regulates the emissions of other greenhouse gases and pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide, lead and ozone, but they are leaving the monitoring of carbon dioxide to the individual establishment.
Griesmer said that the EPA encourages companies to track their own emissions in order to come up with a policy to reduce emissions.
"We are doing things to help climate change," Griesmer said.
Ohio has taken some steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, namely by joining the Climate Registry in the fall of 2007.
According to Griesmer, the Climate Registry is an international organization for government and private companies to make a commitment to track their carbon emissions. The registry was incorporated in March of 2007.
Chris Korleski, director of the Ohio EPA, sent a letter to businesses in Ohio in January encouraging them to join the Climate Registry. Korleski said in the letter that the Climate Registry is a way for businesses to prepare for possible national regulatory requirements by tracking their emissions, and comparing them to the informal standards set up by the EPA and the Climate Registry.
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