The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a new set of rules that has American industrial corporations running scared.
The proposal would force companies to publicly disclose the amount of greenhouse gas emissions they are producing, as well as their methodology for calculating these emissions. These results would be posted online for consumers.
The main opponents of this new proposal are oil producers and refiners, steel and aluminum manufacturers, and even the makers of household appliances. These industries represent some of the highest emitting corporations in America, and for now, consumers know very little about the amount of greenhouse gases they are releasing into the environment.
Business leaders claim that by revealing how much pollution they are discharging that they would be giving their competitors an advantage by allowing them to know more about the inner workings of their company. They also claim that consumers do not need to be aware of what they are releasing.
And they have every reason to want to keep this information secret. Polls show that more than 80% of consumers would choose a sustainable business over a non-environmentally friendly business, which would give large polluters a severe disadvantage in the marketplace.
The EPA is currently preparing to begin regulating all greenhouse gas emissions in America, and the data provided to them by businesses will be crucial in determining what levels are acceptable, and which are excessive. 2010 is the first year in which companies were required to submit information on their total emissions to the EPA.
Farron Cousins is an editor and senior staff writer for The American Trial Lawyer magazine, where he has covered issues of renewable energy and environmental law since 2007. His writings have also appeared in publications such as California's Information Press, and Pensacola's Independent Weekly.
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