Local Greenhouse Gas Inventory Tool
EPA’s Local Greenhouse Gas Inventory Tool was developed to help communities across the United States to evaluate their greenhouse gas emissions. Use this tool to compile a greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory for your entire community or for local government operations in particular.
Download the Local Greenhouse Gas Inventory Tool and sign up for updates (Updated January 2025)
Watch a 1-hour webinar overview of the Local Greenhouse Gas Inventory Tool
What is the Local Greenhouse Gas Inventory Tool?
This free, interactive spreadsheet tool calculates GHG emissions for many sectors, including residential, commercial, transportation, and waste and water management. The tool is comprised of two separate modules: one for community-wide inventories, the other for inventories of local government operations only. You may choose to use one or both modules.
The tool is pre-programmed with default emission factors and system assumptions needed to calculate emissions or you may enter municipality-specific information. The tool is scalable to accommodate different levels of activity data (ranging from city-wide to individual meters) to meet the needs and constraints of different local governments.
Who should use the Local Greenhouse Gas Inventory Tool?
The tool is designed for governments interested in compiling a relatively quick and simple GHG inventory. People interested in emissions from specific facilities should consult EPA data on greenhouse gas emissions from large facilities. The data set includes public information from facilities in nine industry groups that directly emit large quantities of GHGs, as well as suppliers of certain fossil fuels.
How do I use the Local Greenhouse Gas Inventory Tool?
EPA has created three technical guidance documents to accompany the Tool. They include:
- Guidance on Energy Sector Data (pdf)
- Guidance on incorporating National Emissions Inventory transportation data into the tool (pdf)
- Guidance on agriculture and land management (pdf)
What can I do with the results?
- Create an emissions baseline
- Track emissions trends
- Assess the relative contributions of emissions sources
- Communicate with stakeholders
- Partner with other municipalities to create a regional inventory
- Develop mitigation strategies and policies
- Measuring progress toward meeting GHG reduction goals