2008 Woodie Awards
Carbon dioxide emission jumps 3 percent - largest growth in almost a decade
By: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Issue date: 3/19/08 Section: Nation
WASHINGTON - The amount of carbon dioxide released by the nation's power plants grew by nearly 3 percent last year, the largest annual increase in nearly a decade, an environmental group said yesterday.
The analysis of government emissions figures covered more than 1,000 plants including those burning coal, natural gas and oil.
The report by the Environmental Integrity Project, a Washington-based advocacy group, said the most carbon dioxide in 2007 came from power plants in Texas, 262 million tons; Ohio, 138.6 million tons; Florida, 134.5 million tons; Indiana, 132 million tons; and Pennsylvania, 123.6 million tons. Those numbers did not take into account amount of power produced.
States where plants release the most carbon dioxide per megawatt-hour of electricity generated were North Dakota, Wyoming, Kentucky, Indiana and Utah.
The group said that the overall 2.9 percent increase in carbon dioxide releases outpaced a 2.3 percent year-to-year increase in electricity production. Texas, Georgia, Arizona, California and Pennsylvania had the biggest one-year increases.
"Carbon emissions actually increased faster than [electricity] demand," said Eric Schaeffer, the group's executive director. He said reduced efficiency of older coal-burning power plants that often are some of the largest coal burners may have been one reason for the carbon dioxide increase.
"The amount that we're emitting today makes any long-term [reduction] goals that much harder to reach."
Carbon dioxide is the leading so-called "greenhouse gas" that is linked to global warming. It is a product of burning fossil fuels. Power plants account for nearly 2 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year, about a third of the U.S. total.
Melissa McHenry, spokeswoman for Ohio-based American Electric Power, which has 25 coal-burning power plants in nine states, said her company showed a 2.8 percent increase in carbon dioxide emission in 2007, but "we also saw a 3.6 percent increase in electricity demand." She said AEP is investing in wind generation and purchasing carbon "offsets" through a carbon exchange program.
The analysis of government emissions figures covered more than 1,000 plants including those burning coal, natural gas and oil.
The report by the Environmental Integrity Project, a Washington-based advocacy group, said the most carbon dioxide in 2007 came from power plants in Texas, 262 million tons; Ohio, 138.6 million tons; Florida, 134.5 million tons; Indiana, 132 million tons; and Pennsylvania, 123.6 million tons. Those numbers did not take into account amount of power produced.
States where plants release the most carbon dioxide per megawatt-hour of electricity generated were North Dakota, Wyoming, Kentucky, Indiana and Utah.
The group said that the overall 2.9 percent increase in carbon dioxide releases outpaced a 2.3 percent year-to-year increase in electricity production. Texas, Georgia, Arizona, California and Pennsylvania had the biggest one-year increases.
"Carbon emissions actually increased faster than [electricity] demand," said Eric Schaeffer, the group's executive director. He said reduced efficiency of older coal-burning power plants that often are some of the largest coal burners may have been one reason for the carbon dioxide increase.
"The amount that we're emitting today makes any long-term [reduction] goals that much harder to reach."
Carbon dioxide is the leading so-called "greenhouse gas" that is linked to global warming. It is a product of burning fossil fuels. Power plants account for nearly 2 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year, about a third of the U.S. total.
Melissa McHenry, spokeswoman for Ohio-based American Electric Power, which has 25 coal-burning power plants in nine states, said her company showed a 2.8 percent increase in carbon dioxide emission in 2007, but "we also saw a 3.6 percent increase in electricity demand." She said AEP is investing in wind generation and purchasing carbon "offsets" through a carbon exchange program.
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