The Climate Report - Winter 2011

On September 15, 2010, U.S. EPA sent a letter to its Climate Leaders industry partners informing them that it will wind down the Climate Leaders program over the next year. Since 2002, the Climate Leaders program has assisted some of the nation's largest companies in voluntarily determining their carbon footprint, establishing emission reduction goals, sharing best practices, and receiving public recognition for their efforts.

In its letter, EPA said it "has determined that climate programs operated by the states and NGOs are now robust enough to service our Partners and other entities that wish to continue to advance their climate leadership through comprehensive reporting (that exceed mandatory reporting requirements) and/or the establishment of facility or corporate-level [greenhouse gas] reduction goals." Another factor is EPA's shifting focus from voluntary climate change efforts, such as Climate Leaders, to implementation of the Agency's new mandatory greenhouse gas reporting program.

At a meeting in October 2010 with industry partners to discuss the phase-out of Climate Leaders, company representatives reportedly expressed disappointment with and surprise at EPA's decision, since the program was generally viewed as an overall success by those that participated. Some company officials questioned whether the move represents a philosophical shift away from use of the "carrot" of voluntary cooperation, leaving only the regulatory enforcement "stick."

As the program winds down over the next year, EPA intends to "encourage and assist the transition of our Partners into non-federal programs that our Partners choose to join." Alternatives include the Carbon Disclosure Project, which collects greenhouse gas emissions data from many of the world's largest companies each year, and The Climate Registry, which is a voluntary multistate initiative extending into Canada. Asserting that it intends to continue to promote climate leadership efforts, EPA said it will "pursue a jointly sponsored recognition program with one or more NGOs to allow our Partners and other climate leaders to continue to be acknowledged for their greenhouse gas reductions."

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