Attorney General Nick Brown is at the forefront of a legal challenge against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) latest move, which could significantly impact the United States' ability to track and mitigate climate change. Brown, along with his counterparts from 15 other states and representatives from two cities, submitted a pointed comment letter late Monday, firmly opposing the EPA’s proposal to scale back a key environmental protection measure—the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP). The GHGRP, since its inception, has been instrumental in collecting detailed data on greenhouse gas emissions from several industrial sources nationwide.
The coalition, co-led by the Attorney General of California, includes attorneys general from states such as Colorado, Connecticut, and New York, among others, as well as the Chief Legal Officers of cities like New York City and Chicago. According to the Attorney General's Office, their argument is clear: the dismantling of GHGRP could lead to not only public health and environmental repercussions but would also be considered unlawful. This program is considered crucial to the nation's capacity to plan for and implement effective emissions reduction strategies. In a statement obtained by the office of the Attorney General of Washington, Brown stated, "Climate change driven by pollution represents one of the biggest challenges our communities face today."
The GHGRP began in 2009, backed by the authority of the Clean Air Act and a congressional mandate, requiring certain facilities and fuel suppliers to report their annual emissions accurately. This database has been lauded as the "gold standard of emissions reporting," widely recognized for its comprehensiveness and importance in forming policy and regulatory actions. The initiative covers approximately 85-90% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the US, thereby enabling informed decisions in both the public and private sectors.
However, with the EPA's issuance of a Proposed Rule last month seeking to nullify GHGRP, officials are concerned about the potential for increased greenhouse gas concentrations and their cascading effects. An elimination of such a reporting mechanism means businesses and states could flounder to devise effective mitigation strategies.
