Checklist and tips for reporting pollutant releases

Reporting online

• complete comment boxes to give context to the information
• keep contact information (especially email addresses) current
• identify your Public Contact (the person whose name will appear on the website)
• identify your Technical Contact
• provide Coordinator information if you are reporting for multiple facilities
• identify consultants in the Contractor Contact field

Common errors to avoid

Quantity errors

• report quantities in correct units (e.g., grams vs. kilograms)
• watch for decimal errors (e.g. 300 tonnes vs. 3.00 tonnes)
• when using prepopulated forms, be sure to update quantities from previous years

Emission errors

• the total of individually reported volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in Parts 1 and 2 should not be greater than the total VOCs reported in Part 4
• if more than one tonne of a Part 5 Speciated VOC is released to air, report it both in your Part 4 total VOC calculation and individually under Part 5
• total Particulate Matter (PM) should be ≥ PM10 which should be ≥ PM2.5

Reporting errors

• calculate but do not report any manufacture, process or otherwise use (MPO) amounts. Report only the release, disposal and recycling amounts
• lf you meet the MPO reporting threshold for a Part 1 substance, report all releases, disposals and transfers for recycling, even if the quantity eventually released is zero
• do not report National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) substances contained in final products shipped to customers or end users
• to avoid double-counting, do not report disposals as both on-site and off-site
• select “No significant change or no change” as the reason for changes in quantities reported from the previous year only if the change in quantities is less than 10%
  

Reporting checklist

Complete and keep documentation

• assumptions and activity data
• emission factors and estimation parameters
• emissions measurement procedures, sampling procedures, equipment calibration and maintenance
• internal calculations that support estimates

Other reporting checks

• verify conversion factors
• ensure that mitigation activities are considered in calculations
• compare current year estimates with previous year’s emissions
• report significant changes