Greenhouse Gas Reporting in the Electric Utilities Sector
While many chemical releases are required to be reported to TRI, the TRI Program does not cover all chemicals released by industry. Notably, most greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are not reported to TRI. Industrial emissions of GHGs increase the concentration of these gases in the atmosphere, which alter the amount of heat trapped by the Earth's atmosphere and contribute to climate change.
Climate change is already harming human health across the US, and impacts are expected to worsen with continued warming. Climate change harms individuals and communities by exposing them to a range of compounding health hazards, including the following:
- More severe and frequent extreme events
- Wider distribution of infectious and vector-borne pathogens
- Air quality worsened by smog, wildfire smoke, dust, and increased pollen
- Threats to food and water security
- Mental and spiritual health stressors
Climate change is projected to reduce US economic output and labor productivity across many sectors, with effects differing based on local climate and the industries unique to each region. Climate-driven damages to local economies especially disrupt heritage industries (e.g., fishing traditions, trades passed down over generations, and cultural heritage–based tourism) and communities whose livelihoods depend on natural resources.
EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) tracks facility-level emissions from the largest U.S. sources of GHGs. Under the GHGRP, the Power Plants Sector consists mainly of facilities that produce electricity by burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas, or biomass. The sector also includes facilities that burn fossil fuels to produce steam, heated air, or cooled air. The chart below shows GHG emissions reported to the GHGRP by facilities in the Power Plants sector from 2013 to 2022.
Different GHGs can have different effects on the Earth’s warming; Global Warming Potential (GWP) values allow for comparisons of the global warming impacts of different gases. MTCO2e is a weighted measurement that considers the tonnes of the gases and their associated global warming potentials.
- Note that while almost all TRI data are reported in pounds, the GHGRP collects GHG emissions data in metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (MTCO2e), as shown in this chart.
- In 2022, 1,332 facilities in the Power Plants sector submitted GHG reports while 435 facilities in this sector reported to TRI. Some facilities report to only one of these programs due to different applicability requirements. TRI covers only electric utilities that burn coal or oil to generate electricity (i.e., natural gas power plants are not covered by TRI) while the GHGRP covers all power plants that meet the applicability requirements, including natural gas-fueled power plants.
- Total reported GHG emissions from the sector were 1,585 million MTCO2e in 2022, which represented more than half of total direct emissions reported to the GHGRP.
- From 2013 to 2022, GHG emissions from this sector have decreased by 25%. According to data from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration, use of renewables, such as wind and solar, and of natural gas increased during this time while the use of coal decreased. These trends likely contributed to the decreased emissions from this sector.
Additional Resources on GHG Emissions and Climate Change
- To explore the data reported to EPA on GHG emissions, see the Facility Level Information on GreenHouse gases Tool (FLIGHT).
- See the Fifth National Climate Assessment for information on climate change impacts, risks, and responses.
- For more details on the electric utility sector’s GHG emissions, visit GHGRP Power Plants.
- The TRI P2 Search Tool lets you compare facilities’ waste management reported to TRI and their GHG emissions reported to the GHGRP.
This page was published in March 2024 and uses the 2022 TRI National Analysis dataset made public in TRI Explorer in October 2023.