Federal LCA Commons
Stored: Federal Life Cycle Assessment Commons
| Type | Program |
|---|---|
| Sponsor Organization | Partnership |
| Top Organization | None |
| Creation Legislation | None |
| Website | Website |
| Purpose | The Federal Life Cycle Assessment Commons coordinates federal efforts to standardize and share life cycle assessment data for environmental impact analysis across government agencies. It aims to enhance public and agency access to interoperable LCA datasets through an open, searchable repository, supporting informed decision-making. |
| Program Start | 2018 |
| Initial Funding | Not publicly specified |
| Duration | Ongoing |
| Historic | No |
The Federal Life Cycle Assessment Commons (FLCAC) is an interagency collaboration launched in 2018 to unify and distribute life cycle assessment (LCA) data across U.S. federal entities, hosted by the USDA’s National Agricultural Library with key contributions from the Department of Energy, EPA, and others like NREL. It tackles LCA data inconsistencies by providing a web-based platform with over 1,000 datasets—including the USDA LCA Commons’ agricultural data and DOE’s NETL CO2U—standardized via tools like the Federal Elementary Flow List (FEDEFL), updated to v2.0 in 2022 for global interoperability.[1] Supporting applications from policy to tech evaluation, FLCAC integrates with efforts like the Energy Data eXchange, reinforcing federal data openness as of its latest milestones.
Goals
- Standardize LCA methods and data conventions across federal agencies for consistency.
- Provide free, searchable access to federal LCA datasets to enhance transparency and reuse.
- Leverage multi-agency expertise to advance LCA research and decision-making tools.[2]
Organization
The Federal Life Cycle Assessment Commons operates as a partnership, formalized by a 2018 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among USDA, DOE, and EPA, with support from NREL, NIST, and others. It lacks a single top organization, governed by an interagency community of practice where figures like Wesley Ingwersen (EPA) are prominent without a fixed leadership title.[3] Funding draws from agency budgets—e.g., DOE’s EERE, EPA’s ORD—supporting data curation and platform maintenance without a dedicated pool.
Partners
- United States Department of Agriculture
- Department of Energy
- Environmental Protection Agency
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory
History
FLCAC emerged from early 2010s LCA coordination, catalyzed by a 2016 DOE workshop, and was formalized via its 2018 MOU.[4] Building on efforts like USDA LCA Commons (2012), it introduced FEDEFL v1.0 in 2019 and v2.0 in 2022, enhancing data mapping with global standards like GLAD. It continues to grow, integrating datasets and tools like openLCA, with plans for deeper collaboration into the 2030s.
Funding
Initial funding in 2018 was not centrally specified, relying on agency budgets like DOE’s EERE and EPA’s ORD.[5] Ongoing support funds server costs, staff time, and FEDEFL updates, with no end date as it aligns with federal sustainability objectives.
Implementation
FLCAC operates through lcacommons.gov, using the openLCA Collaboration Server to host datasets like USLCI and NETL’s CO2U since 2018.[6] It progresses in phases—data aggregation (2018-2020), FEDEFL standardization (2020-2022), and ongoing expansion—offering JSON-LD and Excel downloads. The program is perpetual, adapting to LCA needs with no fixed end.
Related
External links
- https://www.lcacommons.gov
- https://www.energy.gov/eere/analysis/federal-lca-commons
- wikipedia:Life-cycle assessment
Social media
References
- ↑ "Federal LCA Commons". USDA National Agricultural Library. https://www.lcacommons.gov.
- ↑ "FLCAC Overview". Department of Energy. https://www.energy.gov/eere/analysis/federal-lca-commons.
- ↑ "About FLCAC". USDA National Agricultural Library. https://www.lcacommons.gov/about.
- ↑ "FLCAC MOU". USDA National Agricultural Library. https://www.lcacommons.gov/lca-collaboration/MOU.
- ↑ "FLCAC Overview". Department of Energy. https://www.energy.gov/eere/analysis/federal-lca-commons.
- ↑ "Federal LCA Commons". USDA National Agricultural Library. https://www.lcacommons.gov.
