WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Friday proposed rolling back requirements for companies to report their emissions of greenhouse gases, a move that would limit public and government access to data on industrial contributions to climate change.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced it is seeking to repeal a 2009 rule that required major emitters to submit annual reports on greenhouse gas emissions. The rule generally applied to facilities releasing the equivalent of at least 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide—roughly the emissions from 5,800 gas-powered cars.
If finalized, the repeal would mean that no industries would be required to submit emissions data for 2025. About 8,200 facilities across multiple sectors typically submit information under the program.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the move would reduce regulatory burdens and have no environmental impact.
“The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program is nothing more than bureaucratic red tape that does nothing to improve air quality,” Zeldin said in a statement. “Instead, it costs American businesses and manufacturing billions of dollars, driving up the cost of living, jeopardizing our nation’s prosperity and hurting American communities.”
The proposal follows several other Trump administration moves to roll back climate regulations, including efforts to repeal the landmark finding that climate change poses a threat to public health and proposed rollbacks of rules for cars and power plants.
