Milestone 2 - Develop a GHG Emission Inventory

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Preparing a baseline emission inventory requires the coordination of the various park stakeholders including park staff, concessioners and those responsible for other permitted activities within the parks boundaries. The data collected from these various groups should be entered into Module 1 of the CLIP Tool to produce the park’s baseline emission inventory. Producing a baseline emission inventory generally follows the following six steps.

1. Establish the Proposed Scope of the Emission Inventory
2. Collect Activity Data
3. Produce a Draft Emission Inventory using Module 1 of the CLIP Tool
4. Review and Submit the Results of the Draft Emission Inventory
5. Revise, Finalize, and Submit the Completed Baseline Emission Inventory
6. Update Baseline Emission Inventories and Produce Subsequent Inventories

1. Establish the Proposed Scope of the Baseline Emission Inventory
Before completing a baseline emission inventory, individuals responsible for the inventory should familiarize themselves with emissions, emission sources, and factors that influence the scope of the emission inventory (e.g., baseline year, entities and sources included, data required, etc.). 

2. Collect Activity Data
Proper data collection techniques are fundamental to producing a complete and accurate emission inventory because the results of the emission inventory can only be as strong as the data used to produce the emission estimates.

Emissions are estimated for each emission source using data on the activities that produce the emissions (these data are known as “activity data.”)  A full listing of all activity data needed to produce a complete emission inventory is contained within CLIP Tool Module 1 on the “Printable Activity Data Sheet.” 

Using these resources, the individual(s) completing the emission inventory should identify the data needed to complete emission estimates, and contact the park staff, concessioner staff, and other parties that will likely have these data.

Most data requested by the CLIP Tool are commonly collected for other purposes and should be readily available through the appropriate contacts.  Common contacts include the facilities manager, chief of maintenance, air quality or natural resource specialists, transportation and/or fleet managers, GIS specialists, and fire or forest management personnel.  Common data resources include Energy Data Management reports, Integrated Solid Waste Alternatives Program (ISWAP) plans, Environmental Management System (EMS) plans, Fire or Forest Management plans, transportation studies or Transportation Management Plans, General Management Plans, and data housed by the GIS team.

Individuals collecting the data should record contact and data information in locations provided in Module 1 of the CLIP Tool or the CLIP Tool Data Needs sheets.  This information should be maintained for validation or certification processes (particularly if the park chooses to participate in a registry) and to assist individuals conducting future emission inventories.

3. Produce a Draft Baseline Emission Inventory Using Module 1 of the CLIP Tool
After collecting activity data, the individual conducting the inventory should enter the activity data into the CLIP Tool by emission source according to the instructions provided on the Climate Friendly Parks website.  Users should enter activity data for all sources included in the inventory for all entities (e.g., park operations, concessioners, other permitted activities) participating in the inventory and review the emission results presented in each Source Sheet and the Summary Sheet.  Users should detail assumptions and data gaps in the Notes Sheet and provide contact information for individuals who have supplied activity data in the Contact Information Sheet.

4. Review and Submit the Draft Baseline Emission Inventory
After completing a draft emission inventory, users should review the emission inventory results with appropriate park personnel (e.g., superintendent, concessioner management) and submit the completed Module 1 file along with remaining questions and a list of data gaps and assumptions to the CFP Program at CLIPTool@icfi.com.

5. Revise, Finalize, and Submit the Final Baseline Emission Inventory
The CFP Program will provide comments on the draft emission inventory within two weeks of receipt.  After receiving comments, the Applicant Park will either finalize the emission inventory or revise the emission inventory to address comments on scope and/or data gaps.  After filling data gaps and revising scope to the extent agreed upon by the CFP Program and the Applicant Park, the Applicant Park will submit the final Module 1 file to the CFP Program at CLIPTool@icfi.com. . The contents of this file will serve as the Applicant Park’s baseline emission inventory.

6. Update Baseline Emission Inventories and Produce Subsequent Inventories
After completing a baseline emission inventory, CFP Member parks are asked to produce emission inventories each subsequent year.  CFP Member parks should work to fill any data gaps identified and improve assumptions made during the baseline emission inventory year. 

If data are acquired for activities that occurred during the baseline year that wasn’t available when the baseline inventory was developed, the baseline emission inventory should be updated to account for the recently acquired data.  As an example, if the baseline emission inventory did not include emissions for non-road equipment despite the park’s use of these equipment because data were unavailable, but data are found during subsequent inventories, the baseline inventory should be updated to account for non-road equipment.

If the park takes on new activities that produce emissions that did not occur during the baseline emission inventory year, these emission activities should be included in subsequent emission inventories. Emission reduction goals the park establishes based on the baseline emission inventory year apply to new activities.  As an example, if a park that has chosen to reduce its baseline emissions of 100 MTCE by 10 percent builds facilities that increase their baseline emissions by 20 MTCE, they will have to reduce their emissions by 25 percent to reach the emission reduction goal of 90 MTCE.

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