The EPA announced on Tuesday, March 9, 2010, that it is seeking public comment on its annual report of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The report's conclusions are likely to affect agency policy with regard to counting of GHGs, particularly CO₂ and what many see as almost inevitable controls.

The Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2008 draft report will be open for public comment for 30 days after the Federal Register notice is published, giving a likely deadline of April 8 or 9, 2010.

The draft report shows that in 2008, overall greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions have decreased by 2.9 percent. While the U.S. also experienced drops in 2005 and 2006, total emissions were lower in 2008 than in any year since 1995. This downward trend was attributed to a decrease in CO₂ emissions associated with fuel and electricity consumption, likely a reflection of that year's peak energy costs. Total emissions from GHGs were about 6,946 million metric tons of CO₂e. Overall, emissions have grown by 13.6 percent from 1990 to 2008. Last year's report noted a 1.4 percent increase, which followed several years of  increases.

The inventory tracks annual greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 to 2008 at the national level. The gases covered by this inventory include CO₂, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and SF₆. The inventory also calculates CO₂ emissions that are removed from the atmosphere by "sinks," e.g., through the uptake of carbon by forests, vegetation and soils.

The agency's annual report is prepared by the EPA in collaboration with experts from other federal agencies. After responding to public comments, the U.S. government will submit the final inventory report to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The report will fulfill the annual requirement of the UNFCCC international treaty, ratified by the United States in 1992, which sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to tackle the challenge posed by climate change.

Sources: EPA press release, and Page 7 of the draft report