The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed eliminating a rule that has required thousands of industrial facilities to report their greenhouse gas emissions since 2009. The agency said on Friday that the program creates unnecessary costs for businesses and does little to improve public health or environmental protection.
If enacted, the change would end annual reporting obligations for more than 8,000 facilities, including power plants, refineries, chemical producers, and suppliers of fossil fuels and industrial gases. The rule would also apply to carbon dioxide injection sites.
The decision follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on his first day in office, directing federal agencies to reduce regulations that could hinder energy production. Supporters of the rollback argue that the reporting program has imposed burdensome compliance requirements without leading directly to new regulations.
The EPA estimates that ending the program could save businesses more than $2 billion over time. The agency emphasized that the Clean Air Act will continue to govern air pollution standards and that certain reporting obligations remain under other laws, particularly for methane emissions at large oil and gas operations. Those facilities are still subject to requirements tied to the waste emissions charge enacted under the Inflation Reduction Act, though the EPA has suggested delaying full implementation until 2034.
Critics, however, warn that removing the reporting program would reduce transparency on industrial emissions at a time when climate data is essential for policymaking. Environmental organizations argue that without this information, regulators, investors, and the public will have less insight into the scale of emissions produced by major polluters. Health advocates have also expressed concern, pointing to the growing toll of climate-related hazards such as extreme heat, air pollution, and respiratory illness.
Former EPA officials have highlighted that the reporting program has been a foundation for climate analysis for more than a decade. They say eliminating it would hinder the ability to track emissions trends and assess whether companies are meeting voluntary or state-level climate goals. The data has also been used to guide research and shape market-based emissions reduction programs.
The proposal is part of a broader series of Trump administration actions to scale back environmental rules. Earlier this summer, the EPA announced plans to repeal the “endangerment finding” that had allowed regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles and stationary sources. The administration has also moved to scale down environmental databases and monitoring programs across multiple agencies, including NASA’s climate satellites.
Industry responses have been mixed. While many large energy companies support reducing federal reporting obligations, some businesses tied to carbon capture and storage technologies have raised concerns. They warn that halting data collection could undermine investor confidence in projects designed to reduce emissions, potentially slowing innovation in this area.
The EPA will open a public comment period before finalizing the proposal. Lawmakers, environmental groups, and industry stakeholders are expected to weigh in heavily on the decision, given its potential impact on climate policy and U.S. commitments to reduce emissions.
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