On October 4, 2016 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its sixth year of Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program data, detailing greenhouse gas pollution trends and emissions broken down by industrial sector, geographic region and individual facilities. In 2015, reported emissions from large industrial sources, representing approximately 50 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, were 4.9 percent lower than 2014, and 8.2 percent lower than 2011.

More than 8,000 large facilities reported their direct greenhouse gas emissions from 2015 to EPA. The data from these facilities show that in 2015:

• Power plants remained the largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, with nearly 1,500 facilities emitting approximately 2 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide, roughly 30 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas pollution in 2015. Power plant emissions in 2015 declined by 6.2 percent as compared to 2014, and by 11.3 percent since 2011.
• Petroleum and natural gas systems were the second largest stationary source of emissions, reporting 231 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Reported emissions for 2015 were 1.6 percent lower than 2014, but 4.1 percent higher than 2011.
• Reported emissions from other large sources in the industrial and waste sectors were a combined 852 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2015, down 1.6 percent from 2014. Most sectors reported emissions reductions, with large declines in reported emissions from the iron and steel sector and the production of fluorinated chemicals.

The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program collects facility-level greenhouse gas data from major industrial sources across the United States, including power plants, oil and gas production and refining, iron and steel mills and landfills. The program also collects data on the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) predominantly used in refrigeration and air conditioning.

The program’s data can be used by businesses and others to track and compare facilities’ greenhouse gas emissions, identify opportunities to cut pollution, minimize wasted energy, and save money. States, cities, and other communities can use EPA’s greenhouse gas data to find high-emitting facilities in their area, compare emissions between similar facilities, and develop common-sense climate policies.

Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program data are also used to inform the development of the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, which estimates total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from across all sectors of the economy. EPA will publish the 1990-2015 Inventory in April 2017.

What this means to you
EPA has released its sixth year of Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program data, detailing greenhouse gas pollution trends and emissions broken down by industrial sector, geographic region and individual facilities.

MIRATECH can help
Contact MIRATECH for compliance control of stationary engine emissions.