Press release -- Today, the Office of Management and Budget, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy announced the release of the National Strategy to Advance an Integrated U.S. Greenhouse Gas Measurement, Monitoring, and Information System, a Strategy developed by the Greenhouse Gas Monitoring and Measurement Interagency Working Group to enhance coordination and integration of greenhouse gas measurement, monitoring, and information efforts across the Federal government.
The release of the Strategy comes on the heels of President Biden unveiling the Fifth National Climate Assessment, which concluded climate change continues to be a growing threat to our economy, with the impacts of extreme weather-related events already costing the U.S. close to $150 billion every year. By increasing coordination and integration of agency efforts into a unified approach for enhancing greenhouse gas information, and bringing to bear the collective capabilities and expertise of agencies to address national needs, this Strategy will ensure that the Federal government is improving our ability to quantify greenhouse gas reduction strategies across all sectors, thereby maximizing the effectiveness of taxpayer resources and advancing efforts to fight the existential threat of climate change. Additionally, the strategy outlines objectives and near-term focus areas to guide collaboration with external stakeholders on an integrated greenhouse gas information system that disseminates trusted, reliable, transparent, and accurate data. . . .
The Strategy was developed by the Greenhouse Gas Monitoring and Measurement Interagency Working Group, which is co-led by the Office of Management and Budget, Office of Science and Technology Policy, and White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy and includes the following departments and agencies:
Department of Agriculture
Department of Commerce
Department of Defense
Department of Energy
Department of the Interior
Department of State
Environmental Protection Agency
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Science Foundation
Release of the Strategy is part of a whole-of-government approach by the Biden-Harris Administration to enhance greenhouse gas measurement and monitoring capabilities across the Federal government to save hardworking families money and tackle the climate crisis. The Working Group solicited feedback from the public through two Requests for Information and meetings with external stakeholders, including businesses, industry organizations, state agencies, researchers, and non-governmental organizations.
From the executive summary:
The National Strategy to Advance an Integrated U.S. Greenhouse Gas Measurement, Monitoring, and Information System seeks to guide collective efforts by providing the following:
• A conceptual framework for a U.S. GHG Measurement, Monitoring, and Information System (hereafter referred to as U.S. GHGMMIS or GHGMMIS).
• A set of national objectives to focus collective GHG measurement and monitoring efforts for federal and non-federal entities.
• A phased implementation approach that maximizes the use of mature capabilities today, while paving the way for future GHGMMIS advancements.
An integrated U.S. GHGMMIS consists of capabilities and activities from three core components: 1) GHG data derived from activity-level estimates and/or atmospheric measurements, 2) standards and methods for quality assurance and quality control, and 3) modeling of systems and activities that produce GHG emissions and removals.a This National Strategy seeks to leverage existing work and accelerate integration of the three core components in order to provide high-quality GHG information to government and nongovernment users on a sustained basis. The U.S. GHGMMIS will rely on the coordinated use of both atmospheric- and activity-based approaches as well as engagement with stakeholders to better understand evolving needs for GHG information and how the GHGMMIS can be responsive to those needs.
The National Objectives for Advancing the GHGMMIS will help focus and integrate efforts by federal government agencies and non-federal actors including city, state, and Tribal governments; academia; NGOs; philanthropies; and the private sector to implement a U.S. GHGMMIS. The National Objectives include the following:
• Objective 1: Improve activity-based (“bottom up”) GHG quantification approaches
• Objective 2: Improve atmospheric-based (“top down”) GHG quantification approaches
• Objective 3: Coordinate the use of activity- and atmospheric-based approaches to move towards convergence of GHG estimates
• Objective 4: Improve latency, completeness, interoperability, and accessibility of GHG data
• Objective 5: Support development of science-based standards to ensure consistent and accurate GHG measurements
Implementing an integrated U.S. GHGMMIS will require a phased approach. Phase I takes advantage of and integrates current and planned GHG observational data, modeling, and quality assurance capabilities from federal and non-federal providers into the GHGMMIS. In Phase I, federal agencies will identify and increase coordination of existing, mature GHG observing, measurement, modeling, and analysis activities and capabilities that, with targeted efforts, could significantly improve GHG information in the near term. These efforts will bring to bear the collective assets and expertise of the federal government, while making more efficient use of taxpayer funds and effectively leveraging non-U.S. government efforts. Phase I also includes activities related to the following:
1. The U.S. Greenhouse Gas Center: Initially led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this center will facilitate coordination across federal and non-federal, domestic, and international entities to integrate and distribute actionable GHG data.
2. An Urban-Scale Prototype of the GHGMMIS Framework: Led by NIST and NOAA, this prototype integrates existing GHG measurement and modeling capabilities into an urbanscale operational GHG monitoring system covering the Baltimore, MD/Washington, DC, and Indianapolis, IN, regions, with potential extension to other areas.
3. Sector-Specific Efforts and Demonstration Projects: These activities—related to agriculture, energy, waste, and natural system emissions and removals—showcase a sample of near-term U.S. government efforts related to GHG measurement and monitoring that support the GHGMMIS framework and objectives.
Phase II of the GHGMMIS reflects a future iteration in which demonstrations and planning from Phase I enable a more capable, robust system that addresses data needs more comprehensively than Phase I. Phase II also will reflect a more robust and formalized coordination structure to implement the U.S. GHGMMIS and move towards interoperability between U.S. and global observing systems.
Strategy:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/NationalGHGMMISStrategy-2023.pdf
Press release:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/news-updates/2023/11/29/biden-harris-administration-releases-national-strategy-to-enhance-the-nations-greenhouse-gas-measurement-and-monitoring-capabilities/