EPA Report Reveals Top Ten Greenhouse Gas Emitting Power Plants in U.S.

by Jackie Weidman/Climate Progress/Jan 12, 2012
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For the first time, Americans have access to comprehensive data from industrial sources that are responsible for carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas pollution.


This pollution data highlights the nation’s top climate polluters, including the number one emitting power plant in the United States: Georgia’s Scherer coal-fired power station. Owned by Southern Company, Scherer pumped out nearly 23 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2010.
Two other plants operated by Southern Company in the Southeastern U.S. — the Bowen plant in Bowen, Georgia and the James H. Miller, Jr. plant in Quinton, Alabama — were the second and third largest polluters in America.


The EPA database includes 80 percent of total U.S. global warming pollution, including emissions from over 6,700 of the largest industrial sources of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The EPA defines these emitters as “big emissions sources,” contributing a minimum of 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.


Some of the major data highlights include:

• Power plants are responsible for 72 percent of greenhouse gases from large emitters (which do not include cars and buildings), pumping 2.3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution into the atmosphere each year.
• 100 facilities, 96 of which are power plants, reported annual emissions over 7 million metric tons.
• Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana are the top five dirtiest states respectively, responsible for 30 percent of the nation’s annual power plant emissions.

Read more at Climate Progess