Penn State team reports near-complete 2023 greenhouse‑gas inventory for Harrisburg; utility data delay slows release

Penn State researchers updating Harrisburg’s greenhouse‑gas inventory told City Council on an unspecified evening in January that the 2023 inventory is nearly complete but delayed while they resolve utility data problems with PPL.

"We don't want to give you an inflated number," said Brandy, a co‑leader of Penn State's Local Climate Action Program (LCAP). She told council that the utility supplied electricity consumption by ZIP code rather than by municipal boundary, and that those ZIP codes cross the city line, which “drastically” overestimates Harrisburg’s electricity responsibility unless downscaling is done.

The inventory effort is part of Penn State’s participation in the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Local Climate Action Program. Peter Buck, co‑director of the Penn State program, and Brandy said the program pairs university students with municipalities and gives participating cities access to ICLEI software for greenhouse‑gas accounting and forecasting. DEP…