EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson signed a final rule yesterday that will require many companies that provide vehicles and related products to the heavy-duty transportation industry to report greenhouse gas emissions starting in January.

Companies at roughly 10,000 facilities nationwide will be affected by this rule. For the transportation sector, they range from natural gas suppliers to heavy-duty engine and vehicle manufacturers to any supplier of petroleum-based products such as tires and seats, just to name a few. Jackson said 85 percent of the total U.S. emissions originate at these plants.

Engine manufacturers will begin monitoring carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons and methane with the 2011 model year and nitrous oxides, which results from catalytic aftertreatment of nitrogen oxide emissions beginning with model year 2013 engines that use the aftertreatment technology. The EPA added that other types of facilities and suppliers not listed in Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0508 could be subject to additional reporting requirements.

The rule goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2010. Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum, said a separate GHG emissions rule for heavy-duty trucks and buses will likely be addressed by the EPA in the new fuel economy requirements issued on Sept 15 and the anticipated rule on heavy-duty vehicle carbon dioxid and GHG emissions, likely with a 2011 release date.

The EPA said engine manufacturers have been measuring carbon dioxide emission rates from their products for many years as a part of normal business practices and existing criteria pollutant emission certification programs, but they have not consistently reported.

“One of our comments to EPA was that the requirement to measure particularly the methane and and nitrogen oxides was not necessary and was not cost effective. If EPA needs that information, than there should be an alternative way of providing that to them,” said Joe Suchecki, a spokesman for the Engine Manufacturers Association. “Within the rule, EPA has provided an option that would allow manufacturers to report or provide information on those levels without having to test every engine family. That provides flexibility that is appropriate and that is needed.”

That provision accepts alternative test data already captured by engine manufacturers in lieu of specific hydrocarbon and nitrous oxide tests. Small business or small volume engine manufacturers will be generally exempt from the reporting requirements.

The EPA estimated that the total first year cost of the program is $132 million nationally, and subsequent years will see costs of $89 million. About 87 percent of the burden will fall on private industry. Broken down by segments, motor vehicle and engine manufacturers will take on 7 percent of the total annualized costs, suppliers of natural gas will have a 5 percent share and petrochemical manufacturers about 2 percent. Downstream costs for the vehicle and engine manufacturers are estimated at $8.61 million.