Submit an Emissions Inventory

Facility Inventory (FI) and the 2022 CY Emission Inventory (EI)

GECO EI application will open on January 10, 2023

CAERS EI (via EPA CDX) will open on February 6, 2023

The Emission Inventory (EI) is required by federal regulation 40 CFR Part 51 Subpart A - Air Emissions Reporting Requirements (AERR) and requires that emissions data be collected from certain facilities by all state agencies responsible for regulating air pollution. This is being conducted under the authority of Georgia Rule 391-3-1-.02(6)(b)1.

Georgia collects emission inventory data using the Combined Air Emissions Reporting System (CAERS). Since 2019, emission inventory data is collected through CAERS instead of the former GECO EI online application system.

Which Facilities Need to Submit Data for Calendar Year 2022?

Facilities whose potential to emit (PTE) emissions equal or exceed the thresholds shown in the table below for any of the indicated pollutants are required to submit emissions data by the deadline - June 30, 2023. In CAERS, facilities will follow prompts based on these thresholds to determine participation (or, “opting in”) in the 2022 EI submittal. 2022 is an annual cycle year and will have higher thresholds than a triennial year.

Calendar Year 2022 Potential Emission Thresholds for all facilities in Georgia

Pollutant Annual Year PTE Thresholds
(tons per year)
SO2 ≥ 2500
VOC ≥ 250
NOx ≥ 2500
CO ≥ 2500
Pb N/A
Primary PM10 ≥ 250
Primary PM2.5 ≥ 250
NH3 ≥ 250

Facilities identified by the Air Protection Branch (APB) as those that might need to participate in the CY 2022 EI should have received information about the process by email on February 2, 2023.

NOTE for Emission Statement

Facilities whose NOx and/or VOC actual emissions are greater than 25 tons per year were required to submit an annual Emissions Statement in the past if they are in the following counties: Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Newton, Paulding, Rockdale, Spalding, and Walton. As of June 19, 2023, Georgia Rule for Air Quality Control 391-3-1-.02(6)(a)4. was removed. Facilities are no longer required to submit Emissions Statement data. The Emission Statement webpage is now removed from the Georgia EPD Air Protection Branch website. The ES application is also removed from Georgia Environmental Connections Online (GECO).

EI Background

The Emission Inventory System (EIS) consists of two parts - the Facility Inventory (FI) and the Emission Inventory (EI).

  • Facility Inventory (FI) - contains the emission units, release points, and process details that usually remain the same from year to year. The FI has been prepopulated with the most recently submitted facility information. If no FI updates, you can leave this alone and work on Emissions reporting only.
  • Emission Inventory (EI) - contains the annual process details, operating parameters, and emissions that usually change from year to year. In CAERS, the facility can download the most recent EI submission as their bulk uploading template or facility can use bulk entry to update throughput values and related emissions.

For the 2022 EI, the EI submission process includes two action parts: 

The EPA promulgated the 40 CFR Part 51 Subpart A – AERR rule in December 2008. In February 2015, the EPA finalized improvements to some reporting requirements of the AERR. The definition of a point source was changed to be more in line with a Title V major source based on potential emissions. Therefore, the threshold tables are based on potential to emit emissions although actual emissions are reported in the data collection process. The State also has less time to submit the completed inventory to EPA, resulting in earlier facility submittal deadlines.

Submitting Your Facility’s CY 2022 Emission Inventory

To begin the 2022 EI process, whether you are opting in or out, you are required to log in to the GECO EI online application to review facility information and update preparer(s) and certifier contact information. After this, you will log in to CAERS via the EPA Central Data eXchange (CDX) website to determine your facility’s participation in the 2022 EI. Prompts will aid with determining opt in or opt out status. If your facility's PTE does not meet or exceed any pollutant thresholds January 1 of 2022 to December 31 of 2022, you will be allowed to opt out of the 2022 EI with the required Opt-out Form. This form can be downloaded from GECO under the EI application, and it must be completed before you can certify the 2022 EI Opt-out submission in CAERS. If your facility did not operate from January 1 of 2022 to December 31 of 2022, you do not need to submit an opt-out form but still need to update contact information and answer prompts in CAERS.

There are two roles on the EPA CDX platform no matter participation status.  The "preparer" role is for any individual that creates and prepares reports but cannot certify the submittal on behalf of the facility.  The "certifier" role is for a representative of the facility that is authorized to submit an emissions report to the state of Georgia.

Potential to emit is based on the latest PTE emissions that correspond with the latest permit that applies to the CY 2022 EI. To determine the PTE submitted, the following sources can be used:

To begin your GECO registration, click GECO Registration and Login.

For GECO/CDX/CAERS registration troubleshooting, use the “GECO EI/CAERS Troubleshooting Matrix” in the “EI Resources” below.

User Guide and Training

Georgia EPD and the U.S. EPA have prepared a user manual for CAERS (see “EI resources” below).  Webinars and live virtual help sessions are available to help transition facilities to CAERS.  Due to the uncertainty around COVID-19, in-person training will continue to not be provided.  For additional information regarding the training webinar and possible live virtual training, please visit https://geco.gaepd.org/EventRegistration/.

If you have any questions regarding the 2022 EI or trouble accessing the GECO system or the EPA CDX platform, please contact [email protected].

EI resources:

GECO/CDX/CAERS Troubleshooting

GECO

    GECO/CAERS Presentations

    CAERS Version 4 User Guide (pdf)

    CAERS Version 4 (V4) Trainings

        HAPs Training