77 Percent Cleaner
Thanks to over $90 billion invested in advanced technologies, today’s coal-based generating fleet is 77% cleaner in terms of emissions currently regulated under existing Clean Air Act programs per unit of energy produced.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The calculations are based on five pollutants: carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter. The data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reflects the environmental performance per unit of energy produced.
That is, the relationship of emissions per billion kilowatt-hours. From 1970 to 2005, the value for that ratio fell from 30,510 short tons per billion kilowatt-hours to just 6,970 short tons per billion kilowatt-hours — a reduction of 77.15 percent.
* We did not track emissions of less than 100 tons per year; all other emission figures on this table are reported in thousands of short tons.
U.S.EPA, Air Trends, Basic Information
Carbon Monoxide
*2005
Nitrogen Oxide
*2005
Particulate Matter
*2005
Sulfer Dioxide
*2005
Volatile Organic Compounds
*2005
* To view 2005 emissions data, follow the link to the 2005 National Emissions Inventory Data & Documentation Web site and download the tier summaries. Warning: large file.
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