A research unit at the University of Texas at Austin is preparing to launch a voluntary program, backed by the oil sector and environmentalists, that would replicate parts of a federally run greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting program that President Donald Trump's administration wants to eliminate.
The university-led program, dubbed openGHGRP, is meant to serve as a "bridge" for continuing to collect a trove of key emissions data that would no longer be available if the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) moves forward with a repeal proposal it is likely to finalize soon. The University of Texas at Austin's Center for Energy and Environmental Systems Analysis (CEESA) plans to launch the program in the coming months. Initial financial support will come from the oil and gas groups the American Petroleum Institute, the American Exploration & Production Council and the American Gas Association, as well as Chevron and the nonprofit group the Environmental Defense Fund.
About 8,000 industrial facilities report their annual emissions under the existing EPA program, which started collecting data in 2010. The Trump administration has sought to end the program over the objections of oil groups and manufacturers, who see the program as the most effective way to track their GHG emissions, comply with potential carbon-based import fees and claim federal tax credits.
There are "Swiss cheese holes of need" for the emissions data everywhere, said openGHGRP's principal investigator Erin Tullos, who is also a professor at the University of Texas at Austin's chemical engineering department. "Rather than plugging each of those business use cases individually, people are like, 'Maybe it would be better if we just kept this intact.'"
Those involved with openGHGRP said they want to replicate the existing EPA program as closely as possible, including using the same rules for emissions reporting and creating an online dashboard for the public to access the data. The program will launch initially to collect data from "subpart C" and "subpart W" sources, which primarily cover the oil and gas sector. CEESA is attempting to add more categories if it is able to secure enough financial support to cover the cost of collecting and processing additional data.
API said last year that if EPA went through with repealing its reporting program, the industry would try to retain reporting voluntarily by finding a third-party alternative.
The openGHGRP initiative has attracted broad support, API said. But it would be up to individual companies to decide whether to submit data.
"The US oil and natural gas industry has a longstanding commitment to transparent, accurate GHG emissions reporting — and a consistent, accessible database of this information helps measure progress, inform sound policy and support American competitiveness in global markets," API vice president of corporate policy Aaron Padilla said.
'Not a substitute'
Environmentalists not involved in the initiative see it as a positive that openGHGRP is working to replicate the EPA program, in a way that would make data accessible to the public. But they note it would not fulfill the same role as EPA's program, which was able to track nationwide emission trends, and not exclusively from companies willing to self-report.
"It's going to be self-selecting within the (oil and gas) industry, and it's not going to include the other industries, so it's not a substitute for what we have under the regulations and under the law," Natural Resources Defense Council senior attorney David Doniger said. "If and when EPA promulgates the proposed repeal, it can expect to be challenged by the NRDC and others."
Those working on openGHGRP said the effort is not meant to be a permanent replacement to EPA's program. It would instead offer a mechanism to continue to collect data in one location, avoiding data fragmentation and maintaining reporting capacity in participating companies. Those contributing a minimum amount of funding to openGHGRP will have a vote on a steering committee that will decide how to prioritize the build-out of information technology, but governance will include stakeholders from industry, non-profits and other groups.
"Governance is set in these four corners, and no matter how much money you contribute doesn't change it," Tullos said.
Other universities have already stepped in to replicate other climate programs the Trump administration has dismantled. Earlier this year, the University of Maryland's Center for Global Sustainability began publishing a national inventory for GHG emissions for the US, replicating data that EPA had compiled for 1990-2024 before it halted publication of the annual report last year.
EPA, asked for comment on openGHGRP, said it was reviewing comments on its proposal to end greenhouse gas reporting. EPA released the proposed rule nearly a year ago.
