Extract greenhouse-gas figures without deciding a reporting threshold
Key facts
- Human involvement
- YellowClose supervision
- How AI is used
- From the emissions papers the lawyer supplies, copy the facility, the year, and the figure as printed, with the page. Do not decide that a report is required and do not apply an emissions baseline.
- What the lawyer must review
- 40 C.F.R. 98.2(a) provides that the greenhouse-gas reporting requirements of that part apply to the owners and operators of a facility located in the United States, or under or attached to the Outer Continental Shelf, that meets paragraph (a)(1), (a)(2), or (a)(3), and to a supplier that meets paragraph (a)(4). Paragraph (a)(1) covers a facility that contains a source category listed in Table A-3. Paragraph (a)(2) covers a facility that contains a source category listed in Table A-4 and that emits 25,000 metric tons CO2e or more per year in the combined emissions that paragraph names. Tables A-3 and A-4 were not opened. The section is a reporting rule. It is not a baseline the facility must stay under. ABA Formal Opinion 512 (29 July 2024) leaves the lawyer responsible for figures. The lawyer decides whether paragraph (a) applies. The extract does not.
- Written for / version
- United States versionUS
Who does what
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Assistance | Do not begin AI assistance until the responsible lawyer has defined and confirmed its permitted scope. |
| Lawyer | Set the scope, supervise the work closely, verify every part relied on, resolve omissions and exceptions, and approve the exact output. |
Checklist
- Trace every relied-on figure to its source, confirm dates and assumptions, and independently recalculate totals or derived amounts.
- Confirm the output against the client’s instructions and the complete relevant source material, including omissions or contradictions.
- Resolve exceptions and record the responsible lawyer’s approval of the exact output and intended use.