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Reservoirs in the U.S. GHG Inventory
Citation:
Beaulieu, J. Reservoirs in the U.S. GHG Inventory. Hydropower Environmental and Industry R&D Summit Talks, Cincinnati (Virtual), OH, May 17, 2024.
Impact/Purpose:
This presentation will provide a detailed overview of how the EPA includes reservoirs in the Inventory of US Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks.
Description:
The US Environmental Protection Agency has included reservoirs in the annual Inventory of US Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks since 2022. Emission estimates follow the IPCC's Tier 1 methodology and utilize default emissions factors and do not account for pre-impoundment emissions or carbon burial. Following this methodology, we estimate that US reservoirs emit 30.6 kt of methane per year, making them the seventh largest anthropogenic methane source in the country.