Abby L. Harvey
GHG Monitor
10/30/2015
Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in 37 states decreased from 2000-2013, according to a report released this week by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). On the other end of the spectrum, 13 states — Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming – experienced an increase in energy-related CO2 emissions. Nebraska’s increase was the highest, with 27.6 percent more CO2 emitted in 2013 than in 2000. Maine had the greatest decrease, with 27.4 percent less CO2 emitted over the same period.
Several factors affect the wide range of performance across the states, such as the availability of fuel types. “The overall size of a state, as well as the available fuels, types of businesses, climate, and population density, play a role in determining the level of both total and per capita emissions. Additionally, each state’s energy system reflects circumstances specific to that state. For example, some states have abundant hydroelectric supplies, while others contain abundant coal resources,” the report says.
The report also makes clear that emissions are measured at the source of production, not consumption. This is significant in several coal-heavy states that export their electricity. “Analysis attributing emissions to the consumption of electricity, rather than the production of electricity, would yield different results,” according to the report.
In states where carbon-heavy fossil fuels are abundant, carbon emissions from those sources tend to be higher than in states with fewer fossil reserves. “In 2013, coal consumption accounted for 78 [percent] of CO2 emissions in West Virginia. In California, 1 [percent] of CO2 emissions came from coal, with 62 [percent] from petroleum. In Rhode Island, which had no emissions from coal, 47 [percent] of emissions were from natural gas,” the report finds.
Not surprisingly, the report also found that “the top five states in 2013 in terms of the carbon intensity of the energy supply as measured in kilograms of CO2 per million Btu (kg CO2/MMBtu)—West Virginia (80 kg CO2/MMBtu), Wyoming (77 kg CO2/MMBtu), Kentucky (76 kg CO2/MMBtu), Utah (72 kg CO2/MMBtu), and North Dakota (71 kg CO2/MMBtu)—are all states with coal as the dominant emissions source.”
