Worst Climate Polluters in US Named in 2021 EPA Report

The worst US climate polluters are revealed in a report by the EPA from 2021.

According to new data just released by the US Environmental Protection Agency, major industrial sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the US increased by 4.1% in 2021.

The increase comes at a time when it is urgently necessary to reduce global climate pollution to prevent further warming. It is the largest year-over-year increase in emissions recorded in more than a decade of reporting.

More than 8,100 of the largest climate polluters in the country self-reported the 2.7 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent of emissions to the agency as part of its required Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. The annual update offers the most thorough, site-by-site analysis of the biggest polluters in the country. The emissions account for about half of the US climate pollution.

Increased Emissions

Following the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, there was an increase in economic activity and industrial production, which coincided with an increase in emissions. Large polluter emissions spiked in 2021, but in 2019 they were 5.25% lower than they were before the pandemic.

Evan Gillespie, a partner with Industrious Labs, said to meet the Paris Climate Agreement's emission reduction targets, such pollution fluctuations must stop.

Gillespie said Since there is a lot of work to be done in the coming eight years to get industrial emissions on track, it is crucial to avoid having emissions linked to production.

Andy Knott, director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign, said he observes significant progress being made by many, but not all, electric utilities in the shutdown of sizable coal-fired power plants.

By 2030 and by 2035, respectively, all coal and also all fossil fuels in the electric sector must be phased out, according to Knott.

Pollutants

Carbon Dioxide: In terms of power production, the James H. Miller Jr. power plant in Quinton, Alabama, was the largest coal-fired power plant in the US in 2021. With 20,834,019 metric tons of carbon dioxide released in the US in 2021, it was also the largest emitter of the gas. To achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, company executives declared their intention to shut down nearly 80% of their coal power capacity by 2028. The James H. Miller plant is not included in the planned shutdowns.

Methane: The largest single source of methane emissions in the US is a coal mine owned by Consol Energy. The Bailey Mine in southwest Pennsylvania with 90,743 tons of methane emissions in 2021. According to the EPA, the emissions' short-term climate impact is equivalent to the yearly greenhouse gas emissions of about 1.6 million cars. As part of a methane destruction pilot program, Consol Energy does capture and destroys some additional methane emissions from the mine.

Nitrous Oxide: Although the final EPA verification is still pending, the nylon plant by Ascend Performance Materials in Cantonment, Florida released 24,657 metric tons of nitrous oxide in 2021, four times more than any other industrial facility in the nation. In addition to producing adipic acid, which is a key component of nylon 66, the plant also produces large amounts of nitrous oxide, a waste product.

On a pound-for-pound basis, nitrous oxide is 273 times more harmful to the climate than carbon dioxide. According to the EPA, if the emissions currently reported are accurate, the facility's emissions in 2021 will be equivalent to 1.5 million cars' annual greenhouse gas emissions.

Inside Climate News was informed by company representatives in early 2020 that they planned to cut nitrous oxide emissions from adipic acid production by more than 95% by February 2022 and by 50% by mid-2020. However, according to the emissions data that the company reported to EPA, nitrous oxide emissions from the plant's adipic acid production increased by 38% between 2019 and 2021.

In response to inquiries about the rise, Alison Jahn, a spokeswoman for Ascend Performance Materials, said that the company has set a target of reducing GHG emissions from all of its facilities by 80% by 2030.

Hydrofluorocarbons: One of the worst climate pollutants ever identified by scientists with the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is hydrofluorocarbon-23 (HFC-23), a synthetic gas and unwanted byproduct. On a pound-for-pound basis, it is 14,600 times more potent as a GHG than carbon dioxide. 180 metric tons of HFC-23 were released into the atmosphere in 2021 by chemical producer Chemours from its facility in Louisville, Kentucky.

The emissions are equivalent to the annual emissions from 566,000 cars, and they can be eliminated through incineration. However, HFC-23 emissions from the Louisville plant may soon become obsolete.

The EPA mandated Chemours to use or eliminate 99.9% of the HFC-23 it generates by October 2021. According to the EPA, Chemours missed the completion date for the installation "partially due to supply chain issues," and the agency approved the company's request for a 6-month extension. According to Cassie Olszewski, Chemours spokeswoman, the company has installed the pollution controls and is currently operating them, but is still validating and improving the system.

Sulfur Hexafluoride: The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has determined that sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is the most potent greenhouse gas ever and is 25,200 times more harmful to the climate than carbon dioxide. After being released, SF6 stays in the atmosphere for 3,200 years, warming the planet.

18 tons of SF6 were released in 2021 by American Electric Power (AEP) from electric utility substations in 10 states, which is the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by 99,000 cars each year. Although AEP had the highest overall emissions, Duke Energy Carolinas ranks highest in SF6 leak rate, accounting for 6% of all SF6 used in 2021, more than twice AEP's rate.

Methane from Gas Storage: In 2021, leaking compressors at an underground storage facility for natural gas in Petal, Mississippi, released 2,517 tons of methane into the atmosphere.

The Gulf South Pipeline gas storage facility in Bistineau Station, the second-highest emitting gas storage facility, which leaked 1,301 tons of methane in 2021, and the Petal gas storage facility are both owned by Boardwalk.

Methane from Landfills: According to company data submitted to the EPA, Sampson County Disposal, a privately-owned landfill in Roseboro, North Carolina, released an estimated 32,983 tons of methane in 2021, surpassing any other municipal or industrial landfill. According to the EPA, the emissions' short-term climate impact is equivalent to the yearly GHG of 575,000 cars.

The landfill's owner, GFL Environmental, according to Joy Grahek, the executive vice president of strategic initiatives, has taken steps to reduce emissions and contends that the EPA's models for estimating emissions are flawed.

The EPA recently put forth changes for how to more accurately measure landfill methane emissions.