Who Were the Worst of the Worst Climate Polluters

Green Watch Monitoring Report  

Emissions from the largest greenhouse gas emitters in the U.S. were down slightly in 2022, but thousands of industrial facilities with substantial emissions remain, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s recently released Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program data, reports Inside Climate News.

Emissions from large industrial sources decreased by approximately 1 percent to 2.7 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2022, according to the annual update of emissions data released on Oct.  5. The data represents emissions from 7,586 industrial facilities across nearly all sectors of the economy and represents about half of all U.S. emissions.DTE Energy’s Monroe coal and fuel-oil power plant, Monroe, Michigan. Emissions: 14.9 million MT of CO2e

An Inside Climate News analysis of the data highlights the top 10 greenhouse gas emitters as well as the top emitter for each of six leading greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride, the world’s most potent greenhouse gas. 

The assessment also identified top emitters of CO2 and methane, the two leading drivers of climate change,  from each of several significant sectors of the economy for greenhouse gas emissions—refineries, steel mills and liquified natural gas (LNG) export terminals and underground gas storage facilities. 

Some of the country’s largest climate polluters slashed their emissions in 2022 or said they are in the process of doing so, either voluntarily or by government mandate.

Moving off this year’s list was an underground natural gas storage facility, the Petal Gas Storage Compressor Station in Petal, Mississippi ,  a once-leading climate polluter that reduced its methane emissions by 91 percent from 2018 to 2022 and is no longer the highest emitter among gas storage sites. Other industrial facilities remained top polluters in 2022 but said they have reduced, or will reduce, their emissions by 99 percent or more by the end of this year. Still others reported their highest emissions yet in 2022.  

Here are the top 10 climate polluters in the nation, with their greenhouse gas emissions stated in metric tons (MT) as carbon dioxide equivalents (C02e):

1.Alabama Power’s James H. Miller Jr.  coal power plant, Quinton, Alabama. Emissions: 21.8 million MT CO2e

2.Ameren’s Labadie coal power plant, Labadie, Missouri. Emissions: 15.9 million MT CO2e

3.DTE Energy’s Monroe coal and fuel-oil power plant, Monroe, Michigan. Emissions: 14.9 million MT of CO2e

4.Vistra’s Martin Lake fuel-oil and coal power plant, Tantum, Texas. Emissions: 13.3 million MT of CO2e

5.Vistra’s Oak Grove coal and natural gas power plant, Franklin, Texas. Emissions: 12.7 million MT of CO2e

6.ExxonMobil’s Baytown Complex refinery and petrochemical plant, Baytown, Texas. Emissions: 12.6 million MT of CO2e

7.NRG Energy’s W A Parish natural gas and coal power plant, Thompsons, Texas. Emissions: 12.4 million MT of CO2e

8.FirstEnergy’s Harrison Power Station coal power plant, Haywood, West Virginia. Emissions: 11.7 million MT of CO2e

9.Wyoming Municipal Power Agency’s Laramie River fuel-oil and coal power plant, Wheatland, Wyoming. Emissions: 11.5 million MT of CO2e

10. Lightstone Generation’s General James M. Gavin coal and fuel-oil power plant, Cheshire, Ohio. Emissions: 11.3 million MT of CO2e.