Sectoral Emissions Reduction Agreements FOIA Email 11.21.02

1. 9 0v
~~d Howard.Johfl~epamail~epa-
,-.Lear On11/2112002 02:36:20 PM
Record Type: Record
To: Phil cooney1CEQIEOP@EOF
cc:
Subject: very nice!
Inside EPA
Greenhouse
First-Time Targets For Cutting
Chemical Industry Agrees To
Gases
with the White House
Major chemical companies have reached an agreement n
gas aigteidsr
to voluntarily lower greenhouse of production, maigtendsroe
emissions relative to their level for
of the first to set a specified target to climate change.
reducing emissions that contribute
to
White House in October and agreed
Industry officials met at theas emissions per
teirgrenhose
redue
1990ad21,corigta
pound of production by Is8 percent between tenx e ots
well-placed industry source. The ots
the agreement within tenx e
industry will publicly unveil is consistent with a
The IS percent reduction
for all U.S. industries in a major
goal laid out by President Bush
speech in February 2002.
target
the first to agree to a specified
Chemical companies are among thede
t
thoughris
for greenhouse gas reductin with many otheridsieinoert
administration has been meeting of the
secure more commitments as part
Bush has stressed the importance
President's climate change initiative, hc h S a
alternative to tcl
of voluntary agreements as an a
the mandates under the international Kyoto Protoo.wihteUS
refused to sign.
Chemistry Council recently announced
The agreement comes as the American f ane
that it would begin annual reportingt ato e
acvrossmteindutrasl
of greenhouse gas emnis jsions environmental,
program to make the industry's (ChemicalPoiyAetNv.5
data widely available to the public of ti uvy n msin
2002, p3). The industry's measurements from ti
be taken uvy n msin
greenhouse gas emissions will drawn from
throghot te ig~swill be
Information Admnsrtoheidty
data collected by the Energy
source says.
of numerous industries, is also
The Business Roundtable, a coalition
few weeks a
expected to unveil in the next

2. to reduce greenhouse gas
strategy calling on its member companies it will dcin.I h
emissions by a specified amount, though level of redcin.nth
the
be up to the companies to determine reluctant to enicucrtny
been
past, many businesses have claiming that scietfcunetit
commit even to voluntary targets, global
still exists on the extent to which activities.
warming is caused by human
far decided
petroleum companies have so
One industry source says that because
not to set a reduction target emissions. "One of the
soman diferntvays to measure
ther ar
isoutheresisnotha
problems with this whole issue and counting greenosgae'th
clear methodology for measuring
source says.
a
utility industry is likely to unveil
Another source says that the change initiatives
nubrof new voluntary climate
any specific targesotmtal.
early next year, but without setting
The source says the industry remains
administration's target to reduce
committed to meeting the Bush by 18 out
greenhouse gas intensity nationwide
gross domestic Prodcrt.clo teBs
percent, measured against the
have been ciia fteBs
On the other hand, environmentalists
administration's decision to measure the expansion of the economy,
to
greenhouse gas emissions relative
gas emissions are
notng hat"greenhouse increaseoesuc as
allowed to continue to grow" as production
usual path."
"Basically, it's a business as
continues to
that the Bush administration
A White House source says t
on climatemetfoinur
consult with industry officials any specific agreemet o nutyt
change, but could not confirm no suc as
reduce emissions. "We've madethis point," the suc as
at
announcements on that front