Although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has yet to regulate carbon emissions, some companies are taking steps to monitor themselves through a reporting initiative called the Climate Registry.
According to Heidi Griesmer, spokesperson for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), currently, there are no efforts from the national EPA to monitor carbon dioxide emissions from businesses and factories.
"The emissions from facilities aren't being monitored," Griesmer said.
In turn, the Ohio EPA does not enforce any carbon dioxide regulations or limits for public or private establishments.
According to Griesmer, this is because they fall under the jurisdiction of the U.S. EPA.
"(The) Ohio EPA can't go out and start doing things that (the) U.S. EPA isn't doing yet," Griesmer said. "State law prevents us from having regulations that are more stringent in some ways than the federal."
According to Griesmer, the U.S EPA monitors and regulates the emissions of other greenhouse gases and pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide, lead and ozone, but they are leaving the monitoring of carbon dioxide to the individual establishment.
Griesmer said that the EPA encourages companies to track their own emissions in order to come up with a policy to reduce emissions.
"We are doing things to help climate change," Griesmer said.
Ohio has taken some steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, namely by joining the Climate Registry in the fall of 2007.
According to Griesmer, the Climate Registry is an international organization for government and private companies to make a commitment to track their carbon emissions. The registry was incorporated in March of 2007.
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Chris Korleski, director of the Ohio EPA, sent a letter to businesses in Ohio in January encouraging them to join the Climate Registry. Korleski said in the letter that the Climate Registry is a way for businesses to prepare for possible national regulatory requirements by tracking their emissions, and comparing them to the informal standards set up by the EPA and the Climate Registry.
According to Phillip Spotts, environmental manager of Smart Papers of Hamilton, Ohio, Smart Papers has taken steps as a company regarding carbon dioxide.
"We strive to minimize our carbon dioxide emissions as much as possible," Spotts said.
Spotts said that Smarts Paper joined the Climate Registry in February and is one of the founding entities. Although the company already records and tracks carbon dioxide emissions, joining the registry will allow Smart Papers to track and monitor itself more thoroughly.
David Gorchov, Miami University professor of botany, said he believes that if the United States does not begin to regulate carbon dioxide emissions, the effects will begin to show worldwide-impacting agriculture, rainfall and overall climate.
"The only way we will have a global agreement to reduce green house gases if the U.S. is a full participant," Gorchov said. "And that is going to require the U.S. to document its current emissions and future reductions."
Griesmer said she does not know if the U.S. EPA will eventually monitor carbon dioxide emissions in the future.
"I know that there have been some bills introduced in Congress that would require them to do that," Griesmer said. "I don't know of anything that has passed or any concrete steps that the U.S. EPA has taken."
Spotts said he hopes that the EPA will eventually set regulations for carbon dioxide, but he believes that Smart Papers is taking steps independently that are positive toward reducing emissions.
"As far as greenhouse gases go, we are pressing forward on the reporting and we will hopefully be using that information to reduce greenhouse gases as much as possible," Spotts said.
Gorchov said he believes that the country should embrace clean energy and the reduction of greenhouse gases, and not to be afraid of the effect that it might cause with respect to factory jobs. According to Gorchov, the switch to more environmentally sustainable techniques would create new jobs.
"There is a lot of potential for new jobs in development and production of cleaner technology and more efficient technology and Ohio is well positioned to get a lot of those industries and jobs," Gorchov said.
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