The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has extended the deadline for companies to report their 2025 greenhouse gas emissions under the federal Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP), a move that gives regulated entities additional time as the agency considers broader changes that could significantly alter how emissions data is collected across the U.S. economy.
Under a final rule published Feb. 27 in the Federal Register, facilities covered by the program will now have until Oct. 30, 2026, to submit their 2025 emissions reports. The deadline had previously been March 31, 2026.
The reporting extension applies to facilities regulated under 40 CFR Part 98, which requires large emitters and certain fuel suppliers to report annual greenhouse gas emissions to EPA. The program has served as one of the federal government’s primary tools for tracking emissions across the economy since it was established in 2009.
EPA said the extension will allow the agency time to evaluate a separate rulemaking that proposes significant revisions to the reporting program itself. The agency is currently considering whether to eliminate reporting requirements for most of the source categories currently covered under the rule, while potentially retaining reporting for petroleum and natural gas systems that are tied to statutory requirements.
While fleets themselves are generally not subject to the reporting program, the rule has long played an indirect role in how transportation-sector emissions are measured.
Much of the emissions data associated with freight transportation is not collected from vehicles or fleets directly, but from upstream fuel suppliers. Under the GHGRP, companies that supply petroleum fuels and natural gas report the carbon dioxide emissions associated with the fuels they sell into the U.S. economy. These data are then used by EPA and other agencies to estimate emissions from sectors such as trucking, aviation, and marine transportation.
For example, suppliers of petroleum products report the emissions associated with the combustion of fuels such as diesel and gasoline, while natural gas suppliers report emissions tied to the combustion of natural gas. These data streams help form the basis of national transportation emissions inventories.
Refineries and oil and gas system operators also report emissions from fuel production and processing, providing additional inputs used in lifecycle emissions analysis for transportation fuels.
If EPA ultimately finalizes broader changes to the GHGRP that reduce or eliminate reporting from certain categories, it could affect the level of detail available in federal emissions datasets tied to transportation fuels.
Programs that rely on lifecycle carbon intensity data, including clean fuel standards and certain emissions accounting frameworks, often draw from federal emissions reporting data alongside modeling and other sources.
The reporting program has also been used by researchers, investors, and companies seeking to track emissions trends across the energy and transportation sectors.
EPA emphasized that the current rule only changes the reporting deadline for 2025 emissions and does not modify the underlying reporting requirements at this time.
Facilities subject to the program must still collect emissions data during 2025 as required. The extended deadline simply delays when those data must be submitted to the agency.
The broader rulemaking that could reshape the reporting program remains under review.
