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Office of the Press Secretary
(San Francisco, California)
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release April 15, 1999
April 15, 1999
MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY
ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
SUBJECT: Report on Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions
My Administration's proposal to promote retail competition in the
electric power industry, if enacted, will help to deliver economic
savings, cleaner air, and a significant down payment on greenhouse gas
emissions reductions. The proposal exemplifies my Administration's
commitment to pursue both economic growth and environmental progress
simultaneously.
As action to advance retail competition proceeds at both the State and
Federal levels, the Administration and the Congress share an interest
in tracking environmental indicators in this vital sector. We must
have accurate and frequently updated data.
Under current law, electric power generators report various types of
data relating to generation and air emissions to the Department of
Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). To ensure
that this data collection is coordinated and provides for timely
consideration by both the Administration and the Congress, you are
directed to take the following actions:
On an annual basis, you shall provide me with a report
summarizing CO2 emissions data collected during the previous
year from all utility and nonutility electricity generators
providing power to the grid, beginning with 1998 data. This
information shall be provided to me no more than 6 months after
the end of the previous year, and for 1998, within 6 months of
the date of this directive.
The report, which may be submitted jointly, shall present CO2
emissions information on both a national and regional basis,
stratified by the type of fuel used for electricity generation,
and shall indicate the percentage of electricity generated by
each type of fuel or energy resource. The CO2 emissions shall
be reported both on the basis of total mass (tons) and output
rate (e.g., pounds per megawatt-hour).
The report shall present the amount of CO2 reduction and other
available information from voluntary carbon-reducing and
carbon-sequestration projects undertaken, both domestically and
internationally, by the electric utility sector.
The report shall identify the main factors contributing to any
change in CO2 emissions or CO2 emission rates relative to the
previous year on a national, and, if relevant, regional basis.
In addition, the report shall identify deviations from the
actual CO2 emissions, generation, and fuel mix of their most
recent projections developed by the Department of Energy and the
Energy Information Administration, pursuant to their existing
authorities and missions.
In the event that Federal restructuring legislation has not been
enacted prior to your submission of the report, the report shall
also include any necessary updates to estimates of the
environmental effects of my Administration's restructuring
legislation.
Neither the DOE nor the EPA may collect new information from
electricity generators or other parties in order to prepare the
report.