Estimated U.S. forest and paper industry CO sub(2) emissions resulting from compliance with federal environmental regulations

An estimate of the total annual carbon dioxide (CO sub(2)) emissions resulting from compliance with current, proposed, and anticipated federal environmental regulations has been developed for the U.S. forest and paper industry. This estimate of emissions from the industry's primary manufacturing facilities was developed to examine the extent to which other federally mandated environmental goals might need to be balanced against the greenhouse gas emission reduction targets set forth in the Kyoto Protocol. Energy use was estimated for each regulation believed to result in significant energy consumption or savings by calculating the industry-wide electricity, steam, and fuel requirements associated with established or expected control technologies. Estimates were based on industry databases, engineering calculations, U.S. government documents, and the technical literature. Industry-specific CO sub(2) emission factors were used to translate energy use into CO sub(2) emissions. Based on 1995 data, an estimated 1.45 million metric tons (tonnes) of carbon are emitted annually as a result of current environmental compliance activities. New regulations, which include recently promulgated, proposed, and expected rules, are predicted to increase compliance-related emissions to as much as 2.52 million tonnes of carbon per year. These amounts represent 4.8 and 8.4 percent, respectively, of the industry's estimated total 1995 emissions of 30 million tonnes of carbon (11). The CO sub(2) emissions predicted to result from compliance with the proposed wood products maximum achievable control technology rule represent about one-third of the total expected from new regulations.