Greenhouse Gas Tracking To Become Mandatory
View PDF | Print View
by: DanielStouffer | Total views: 69 | Word Count: 496
Greenhouse Gas tracking will soon become mandatory in the United States, with the first reports due in early 2011 for the 2010 year. The federal law affects businesses and governments with heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems or refrigeration and air-conditioning systems, as well as those who produce industrial chemicals, fossil fuels, cars and engines. It is the responsibility of companies to review and comply with the new EPA regulations or face substantial fines.
Greenhouse Gas tracking is outlined in the Climate Registry Protocol, which details the requirements for mandatory monitoring and tracking. It is part of the U.S. Clean Air Act, aimed at improving air quality and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
A big part of the greenhouse gas tracking requirement is its focus on the refrigerant gases used in refrigeration and cooling systems at a wide variety of facilities. This list includes but is not limited to food processors, grocery stores, office buildings, hospital buildings, retailers and local government facilities. It is known that refrigerant gases include significant levels of carbon in the form of perfluorocarbons, chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons. These compounds have been regulated under the US Clean Air Act for some years.
Greenhouse gases absorb and release radiation into the atmosphere, setting off a global warming effect on earth. The purpose of Greenhouse Gas tracking is to pinpoint the main origins of greenhouse gases and monitor the amount discharged into the atmosphere. This provides environmental officials with a base line in which to measure all future usage and evaluate progress. With this accurate information, it can be determined if the guidelines are effective in lowering the harmful effects of these substances to the ozone layer.
Greenhouse gas tracking helps to measure both direct and indirect emissions and to keep extensive records on maintenance, leaks and disposal. Heating and cooling systems and other energy consumptions are defined as producing direct emissions.
In the United States, the Obama administration lists greenhouse gas tracking as an important consideration. The objective is to protect our environmental future by taking action to reduce the carbon footprint. The world's make up would be significantly affected if no action were taken, with a severely detrimental effect on life in general.
Greenhouse Gas tracking will become law because it was determined that certain manmade compounds contribute substantially to global warming. The substances are carbon dioxide, chlorine, bromine, nitrous oxide, chloroflurocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons, methane, methyl bromide, methyl chloroform, sulfur hexafluoride, hydroxyl, perfluorocarbobs, halons, carbon tetrachloride, fluorine, and the fluorinated gases hydrofluorinated ethers and nitrogen trifluoride. The mandatory law is aimed at reducing the use of these substances to lower the effects of global warming.
Although Greenhouse Gas tracking was optional, it becomes mandatory in 2010 with the regulation requiring companies and municipalities to submit exact information on how much of the global warming substances they use everyday and if any leaks occurred. The requirements are so extensive that vendors who are knowledgeable in the area have developed software programs and web-based applications to assist companies in complying with the law.
About the Author
Daniel Stouffer has a lot more information on the need for effective refrigerant gas management and more information about the greenhouse gas tracking.
Rating: Not yet rated
Login to vote
