| |
Under the National Greenhouse and Reporting Act 2007, Australian corporations will be required to report their greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption and production after July 1 this year. The National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting System (NGERS) will be the single consistent framework supporting implementation of the act.
Information gained from the NGERS will be utilised in meeting a number of objectives, including to: |
 |
|
- underpin a future Australian emissions trading scheme (AETS)
- inform the Australian public
- meet Australia’s international reporting obligations
- assist policy formulation and inform programs and activities of all Australian governments, while avoiding duplication of similar reporting requirements across jurisdictions
Under the act, which was passed in September 2007 and is administered by the Department of Climate Change (DCC), major greenhouse gas emitters face the threat of large fines and criminal penalties if they do not comply with mandatory reporting requirements. Companies may face up to $220,000 in fines and Chief Executives up to two years in jail for non-compliance. It is expected that by October 2009, about 900 major industrial sites across Australia will be required to report their emissions. The act also allows corporations to voluntarily report any projects undertaken to remove, reduce or offset their greenhouse gas emissions.
The National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting System, Regulations Policy Paper, was released in February this year. Outlined in the paper are proposed reporting requirements, detailed definitions of terms, registration and deregistration information and reporting requirements for greenhouse gas abatement activities. The paper can be viewed at
http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/reporting/regulations/pubs/ngerregs-policypaper.pdf
Penny Wong, Federal Minister for Climate Change and Water, stated that by having a single and streamlined national reporting system, the duplication of reporting and the cost and burden associated with the current “patchwork of separate greenhouse and energy programs” will be reduced. She also said in her release of the policy paper that the NGERS is “welcome news for the Australian community; providing for the first time, public information on the greenhouse and energy performance of large companies across the Australian economy.”
References
|
