| Greenhouse Gas Tracking Becomes Law in 2010 |
| Written by Daniel Stouffer | |
| Sunday, 29 March 2009 | |
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The United States will introduce a federal law covering greenhouse gas tracking in 2010, with the first reports due in early 2011. Many entities are affected including those in the realm of business and government and each must comply or be subject to heavy fines and penalties. Those organizations that use heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems or refrigeration and air-conditioning systems, or those that produce industrial chemicals or manufacture cars and engines are affected.
The United States will introduce a federal law covering greenhouse gas tracking in 2010, with the first reports due in early 2011. Many entities are affected including those in the realm of business and government and each must comply or be subject to heavy fines and penalties. Those organizations that use heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems or refrigeration and air-conditioning systems, or those that produce industrial chemicals or manufacture cars and engines are affected. The far-reaching Climate Registry Protocol covers greenhouse gas tracking and details the need for mandatory monitoring and tracking. The aim of the US Clean Air Act is to improve air quality whilst lowering greenhouse gas emissions. A big part of the greenhouse gas tracking requirement is its focus on the refrigerant gases used in refrigeration and cooling systems at a wide variety of facilities. This list includes but is not limited to food processors, grocery stores, office buildings, hospital buildings, retailers and local government facilities. It is known that refrigerant gases include significant levels of carbon in the form of perfluorocarbons, chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons. These compounds have been regulated under the US Clean Air Act for some years. It is accepted that greenhouse gases absorb and release radiation into the atmosphere which is a significant contributory factor to the global warming effect. Greenhouse gas tracking will help to pinpoint the main origin of these greenhouse gases and monitor the amount which is discharged. Environmental officials have a baseline of information against which to measure future usage. Accurate and timely information will help determine if the guidelines are effective in lowering the effects of these substances on the ozone layer. Greenhouse gas tracking measures indirect and direct emissions alike and helps to keep extensive records on such important subjects as maintenance, leaks and disposal. Heating and cooling systems and other energy sources are defined as producing these direct emissions. In the United States, the Obama administration lists greenhouse gas tracking as an important consideration. The objective is to protect our environmental future by taking action to reduce the carbon footprint. The world's make up would be significantly affected if no action were taken, with a severely detrimental effect on life in general. Greenhouse gas tracking is to become law because it has been determined that certain man-made compounds materially contribute to global warming. Those substances are carbon dioxide, chlorine, bromine, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons, methyl chloroform, sulfur hexafluoride, halons, carbon tetrachloride and the fluorinated gases hydroflorenated ethers and nitrogen trifluoride. Although Greenhouse Gas tracking was optional, it becomes mandatory in 2010 with the regulation requiring companies and municipalities to submit exact information on how much of the global warming substances they use everyday and if any leaks occurred. Supportive vendors who are knowledgeable in the area have developed software programs and web-based applications to assist companies in complying with the law. The Article Author: Daniel Stouffer has a lot more data on the importance of effective refrigerant gas management and more information on the greenhouse gas tracking. |
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