1999 Annual Report to be Released Soon

The next annual report of the Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program summarizing 1999 data submissions will be available soon on the Internet at http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/vrrpt/. It will be released in printed form by early February. All reporters to the Program and interested persons who have previously requested an annual report will be mailed a copy of the printed report as soon as it is available. Otherwise, if you would like to receive a copy, please contact the Communications Center at 1-800-803-5182 or by email at infoghg@eia.doe.gov.

This year we have returned to using project type as the organizing theme in the report. Also, we are planning to add additional appendix tables to provide you with more summary data in an easy-to-read table format. These new tables will include emission reductions by section of the reporting form (Sections 1 through 10), reporters by sector, and a list of reporters and the years that they have reported.

The charts below provide a glimpse of the results of the reporting for 1999. Although project-level emission reductions continue to increase for each data year, 1999 saw a three-percent increase from 1998 in comparison with a 47 percent increase between 1997 and 1998 and a 207 percent increase from 1994 to 1999. Electricity projects continue to represent a plurality of total reductions (49 percent) with methane and "other" projects also making significant contributions (23 percent each).

Again this year, it is important to note the revision of previous data. We received twenty 1998 data submissions after the database was closed last year, which did not make it into last year's report. As a result, you will notice that 1998 data have been revised throughout the report. Please submit your 2000 data report by June 1, 2001 to be sure of being included in next year's annual report and Public Use Database.

Mark your calendars! The closing date for submitting reports containing data on activities through 2000 for inclusion in the 2001 version of the Public Use Database is June 1, 2001.

Electricity Coefficients The EIA has nearly finished updating the default state-level electricity emissions coefficients that are included in Appendix C of the instructions for Form EIA-1605 (and Appendix G for Form EIA-1605EZ). Much has changed in the electric power industry since the existing coefficients were prepared for the 1994 Guidelines that established the 1605(b) Program. The new factors are based on a 3-year average (1997-1999) of electric utility emissions and generation by State. A discussion of the development of these coefficients, which will be posted to the Program's web site early next year, points out the difficulties in developing accurate electricity emissions coefficients. If available, reporters are encouraged to use emission coefficients specific to their reported project, for example, utility- or power pool-specific coefficients incorporating actual fuel mix data. 2000 Forms and Software We are currently updating the reporting forms, software, and instructions. We expect to release the 2000 forms and kick off the next reporting cycle in late February of 2001. The basic format of the reporting forms will not change. If you are eager to get started on your 2000 data reports, you may use the old paper forms or mark up a printout of last year's electronic report. The complete reporting software package will be ready for public distribution from the Internet by March. Anyone who has previously requested the CD-ROM or was a certifier for a 1999 data report, will be mailed a hard copy of forms and software as soon as they become available. Otherwise, if you would like to receive these materials, please contact the Communications Center (see contact information below). Early Release of Public Use Database Starting in 2001, the Voluntary Reporting Program plans to post the final 1999 Public Use Database to the Internet in January instead of waiting until the reporting software package is complete. The database will be accessible through the What's New section of our website at http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/new.html.

Climate Change Negotiations Suspended The sixth Conference of the Parties (COP-6) for the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was suspended on November 24, 2000 without a final agreement being reached. The COP-6 negotiations, held in The Hague, Netherlands, were meant to resolve several outstanding issues remaining from the Kyoto Protocol, including emissions trading, the use of domestic carbon "sinks" to meet treaty obligations, and compliance. The principal stumbling block was reported to be a difference between the European Union (EU) and U.S. positions regarding the extent to which countries should be permitted to use the carbon dioxide absorbed by "carbon sinks," including forests and farmlands, as an offset against the national emissions targets established by the Kyoto Protocol. Another sticking point was a disagreement between the "Umbrella Group" (the United States, Canada, Japan, Russia, Norway and Australia) and the EU over the use of flexible mechanisms, such as emissions trading and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), to offset emissions above national targets. The Kyoto Protocol states that flexible mechanisms are to be supplemental to domestic actions (e.g., energy taxes, fuel efficiency standards, etc.) taken by countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The EU is concerned that excessive reliance on flexible mechanisms may discourage strong domestic action. Penalties for non-compliance with emission targets were also at issue. While some parties advocate financial penalties for exceeding targets, others would require countries to make up the shortfall with interest in the next budget period. Formal COP-6 negotiations are expected to resume in May 2001 at the technical meeting of the Subsidiary Bodies to be held in Bonn, Germany. Hot off the Presses!! The EIA recently released Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 1999, a national inventory of greenhouse gas emissions. To obtain a copy, contact the EIA's National Energy Information Center, 202/586-8800 or infoctr@eia.doe.gov, or access the report electronically at http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/1605a.html. Join our Email List! After receiving numerous comments, the Voluntary Reporting Program Communications Center has decided to try out an electronic mailing list. To be on our list to receive newsletters and announcements electronically, send your email address to us at infoghg@eia.doe.gov.

For More Information About Voluntary Reporting... Voice: 1-800-803-5182 or 202-586-0688 Fax: (202) 586-3045 E-mail: infoghg@eia.doe.gov Internet: http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/frntvrgg.html FTP: fttp://ftp.eia.doe.gov/pub/oiaf/1605/cdrom Mailing Address: Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program, U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, EI-81, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20585.