EPA: Petroleum, NatGas Systems GHG Emissions Rose in 2023


   
    

    

   OAKHURST, N.J. (DTN) ---Reported direct emissions of greenhouse gases from 
large stationary sources represented approximately 50% of total U.S. emissions 
in 2023, down about 4% from 2022, according to GHG data collected as part of 
the Environmental Protection Agency's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program.

   More than 8,100 industrial facilities reported GHG emissions to the agency 
in 2023. The data show that in 2023:

         --Power plants were the largest stationary source of U.S. GHG 
emissions, with 1,320 facilities emitting approximately 1.5 billion metric tons 
of carbon dioxide. Reported power plant emissions decreased by 7.2% between 
2022 and 2023. There is a 33.8% decrease in emissions since 2011 reflecting the 
long-term shifts in power sector fuel-stock from coal to natural gas

         --Petroleum and natural gas systems were the second largest stationary 
source of reported emissions, reporting 322 million metric tons of GHG 
emissions. Reported emissions for 2023 were 1.4% higher than in 2022, and 16.4% 
higher than 2016, which is the earliest year of comparable data for this sector 
as new industry segments began reporting that year.

         --Reported direct emissions from other large sources in the industrial 
and waste sectors were a combined 785 million metric tons of GHG emissions in 
2023, down 1.1% from 2022, and down 10.3% since 2011. These are other direct 
emission sources reporting to the GHGRP other than power plants and petroleum 
and natural gas facilities.

   From 2011 to 2023, total reported GHG emissions from large facilities 
decreased approximately 22%, driven by a decrease in power plant emissions. 
This decline occurred despite the fact that after 2016, the program began 
tracking additional sources.

   The reporting year 2023 Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program Data does not yet 
reflect the impact of several rules EPA issued in 2024 to tackle methane 
emissions from the oil and gas sector and improve data quality. These actions 
include standards to reduce methane and other harmful air pollution from new 
and existing oil and natural gas operations; a final rule under the Greenhouse 
Gas Reporting Program to strengthen, expand, and update methane emissions 
reporting requirements for oil and gas operations to help close the gap between 
observed and reported emissions; and other amendments to improve Greenhouse Gas 
Reporting Program data.

   This is the fourteenth year of data collection for most sectors under the 
GHGRP. As directed by Congress, EPA collects annual, facility-level emissions 
data from major industrial sources, including power plants, oil and gas 
production, iron and steel mills, and landfills. GHGRP also collects activity 
data from upstream fossil fuel and industrial gas suppliers. More than 8,100 
direct emitters and suppliers report GHG data to GHGRP. 

   Data reported from both direct emitters and upstream suppliers combined 
cover 85% to 90% of total U.S. GHG emissions. A complete accounting of total 
U.S. GHG emissions across all sectors of the economy using national-level data 
is available through a separate EPA report, the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse 
Gas Emissions and Sinks.  




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