On Sept. 13, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a proposed rule that would eliminate the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP), which requires fossil fuel producers to disclose carbon emissions. Administrator Lee Zeldin said the reporting program goes beyond what the Clean Air Act requires.

Why does it matter?

Administrator Zeldin says the change could save businesses an estimated $2.4 billion annually and will not harm air quality. Former Biden administration EPA official Joseph Goffman said the move “blinds Americans to the facts about climate pollution. Without it, policymakers, businesses and communities cannot make sound decisions about how to cut emissions and protect public health.”

What’s the background?

The EPA launched the GHGRP during the Obama administration in 2009 to collect annual emissions data from large emitters. The EPA created the program under its Clean Air Act authority, which directs the agency to regulate air pollution.

The proposed rule comes as other federal climate disclosure rules face uncertainty. Business groups and Republican attorneys general are challenging Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules adopted in 2024 during the Biden administration that require public companies to disclose climate risks. In July 2025, the SEC told the Eighth Circuit it would not defend the rules and did not say whether it would enforce them if upheld.

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