The EPA Is Ending Greenhouse Gas Data Collection. Who Will Step Up to Fill the Gap?

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced it will cease requiring polluting companies to report their greenhouse gas emissions, effectively ending the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP). This move, initiated under the Trump administration, removes a critical federal tool used to monitor emissions and inform climate policy. Experts, including former EPA official Joseph Goffman, warn that this decision severely hampers the government's ability to formulate effective climate strategies, as the GHGRP data is essential for understanding emission sources, tracking industry decarbonization, and assessing new emissions-reduction technologies. The program also supports international commitments under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and aids state and local policymakers in setting and monitoring emissions targets. While nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and technology advancements, such as AI-driven emissions tracking and satellite data, offer some potential to fill the data void, experts agree these efforts cannot fully replace the EPA’s comprehensive and authoritative data collection. Groups like Climate TRACE, a coalition using satellite imagery and