Reporting Protocols

The Registry provides protocols to direct Reporters in the calculation of their GHG emissions inventory annually.

The foundation document is the General Reporting Protocol, which outlines reporting requirements and tools that apply to all Reporters. Because all Reporters use the same methodologies, representing best practice in voluntary corporate reporting of greenhouse gas emissions, the reported data is an accurate, consistent, high-quality data set of GHG emissions.

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As the Registry adopts new protocols, we will make them available below:

GENERAL REPORTING PROTOCOL

The Registry’s General Reporting Protocol (GRP) describes the reporting requirements for the Registry’s voluntary GHG reporting program including:

  • policy guidelines;
  • technical guidelines;
  • quantification methodologies; and
  • administrative deadlines.

The GRP is designed to support the complete, transparent, and accurate submission of a Reporter’s GHG emissions inventory in a fashion that minimizes the reporting burden and maximizes the benefits of reporting GHG emission inventories annually. The GRP addresses the common cross-cutting issues associated with GHG reporting. As such, it provides useful information to a wide audience.

The GRP is intended to house GHG accounting best practices, and thus, will be updated on a regular basis when substantial new guidance is developed.

The GRP’s Evolution:
The GRP was developed through a public stakeholder process that included:

  • numerous Board Workgroup and Committee meetings,
  • comment from the Registry’s Stakeholder Advisory Committee,
  • a 30 day public comment period,
  • a public board meeting, and
  • four technical public workshops.

The Registry received over 1,140 individual comments on the draft GRP from 107 respondents from industry, environmental non-governmental organizations, regulatory agencies, individuals, and consultants. These comments were reviewed and evaluated by staff. Relevant comments have been integrated into the final GRP, which is expected to be released in March of 2008.

GRP Executive Summary (PDF, 47Kb)
Overview of Changes to final GRP (PDF, 38Kb)
GRP Technical Public Workshops Summary (PDF, 50Kb)
Public Comment on Draft GRP (ZIP of multiple PDFs, 13.1MB)

Industry-Specific PROTOCOLs

The Registry is developing additional industry-specific protocols that will provide greater clarity and specificity for GHG reporting in sectors with specialized sources, e.g., electric utilities, oil & gas companies and more.