EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Goals and Strategies

In This Section

The following goals help EPA meet federal requirements and demonstrate leadership in greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions. EPA intends to accomplish these goals using an array of different strategies.

Goals

Scope 1 and 2 Reduction Goal

On December 24, 2009, EPA submitted its Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions reduction target to the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in accordance with the requirements of Executive Order (EO) 13514. EPA committed to reducing its fiscal year (FY) 2020 combined Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions by 25 percent from its FY 2008 baseline of 140,780 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO₂e).

In developing a target for reducing its Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions, EPA accounted for the following GHG emission sources, per CEQ guidance:

Scope 1 emission sources:
- Onsite fuel combustion at reporting facilities.
- Fuel consumed in EPA's fleet vehicles.
- Fugitive emissions in reporting facilities from refrigeration and fire suppression equipment.
- Process emissions associated with specialized laboratory activities.
Scope 2 emission sources:
- Purchase electricity, steam, hot water, and chilled water consumed at EPA's reporting facilities.

View the letter informing OMB of EPA’s Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions reduction goal (PDF) (1 pp, 60K).

Scope 3 Reduction Goal

On June 2, 2010, EPA submitted its Scope 3 GHG emissions reduction target to CEQ and OMB in accordance with EO 13514 requirements. EPA’s goal is to reduce the required subset of its Scope 3 GHG emissions by 8 percent by FY 2020 compared to its FY 2008 baseline of 67,315 MTCO₂e.

Required categories of Scope 3 GHG emissions that EPA accounted for in its Scope 3 GHG emissions reduction target include:

Employee travel, including business air travel, business ground travel, and employee commuting.
Transmission and distribution (T&D) losses related to purchased electricity consumed at EPA's reporting facilities.
Contracted waste disposal, including solid waste disposal and wastewater treatment.

View the letter informing OMB of EPA’s Scope 3 GHG emissions reduction goal (PDF) (2 pp, 280K).

Strategies

EPA has developed a variety of strategies to help the Agency reduce its GHG emissions resulting from its day-to-day operations.

Inventory Development

EO 13514, the first executive order to require federal agencies to develop comprehensive inventories of their GHG emissions, was signed on October 5, 2009. In January 2008, however, EPA had voluntarily begun developing a GHG emissions inventory in order to better understand and manage the Agency's carbon footprint.

To develop its inventory prior to EO 13514, EPA followed the GHG Inventory Guidance developed by EPA’s Climate Leaders Program. The Agency’s initial GHG emissions inventory quantified Scope 1 and 2 stationary emissions associated with energy consumption at the Agency’s 35 reporting facilities for three of the six major GHGs—carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O). In FY 2009, EPA expanded its inventory to include CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O emissions resulting from fuel use in its fleet vehicles and fugitive emissions of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and perfluorocarbons (PFCs) associated with building air-conditioning equipment. Learn more about EPA’s pre-EO 13514 inventory.

In accordance with EO 13514 Section 9 guidance, EPA has augmented its Scope 1 and 2 inventory by accounting for fugitive emissions associated with building fire suppression and mobile air-conditioning equipment and process emissions from laboratory research activities, fume hood tracer gas testing, onsite waste incineration, and chemical use in laboratory and office spaces.

EO 13514 also requires agencies to inventory and reduce their Scope 3 GHG emissions. In FY 2010, EPA developed initial emission estimates for required categories of Scope 3 emissions, including T&D losses associated with purchased electricity, employee business travel, employee commuting, contracted waste disposal, and contracted wastewater treatment, as well as several optional sources of Scope 3 GHG emissions, including energy use in leased office space. EPA is working to estimate additional currently optional categories of Scope 3 GHG emissions such as supply chain emissions and energy used for site remediation activities.

Scope 1 and 2 Emission Reduction Strategies

EPA is developing the following strategies to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions as part of its Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan (SSPP), which EPA submitted to CEQ on June 2, 2010:

Implement new energy conservation projects to reduce facility energy intensity.
Continue to purchase green power and renewable energy certificates (RECs). Learn more about EPA's green power efforts.
Reduce fleet fuel consumption. Learn more about EPA's green fleet.
Pursue new onsite renewable energy generation in major renovations and new construction. Learn more about EPA's use of renewable energy technologies.
Conduct regular energy assessments and recommissioning to ensure efficient facility operations.
Indentify opportunities for space consolidation to improve laboratory and office infrastructure and to increase employees capacity to telework.

Scope 3 Emission Reduction Strategies

EPA is also developing the following strategies to reduce its Scope 3 GHG emissions as part of its SSPP:

Continue pursuing green building design, construction, operation, and acquisition for new and updated leases.
Reduce employee travel through increased use of videoconferencing, webinars, and conference calls.
Promote and encourage alternative commuting options that reduce single-occupancy vehicle trips.
Reduce resource use and encourage waste diversion at all facilities.