For reporting year (RY) 2012, over 8,000 facilities and suppliers reported to the greenhouse gas reporting program. Among these reporters,

• 7,809 facilities in nine industry sectors reported direct emissions
• Emissions totaled 3.13 billion metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e), about half of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

Summary GHGRP data has been broken into several sections. Click the links below to expand each section.

• Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program Background

  As directed by Congress, EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) collects annual greenhouse gas information from the top emitting sectors of the U.S. economy (Table 1). The GHGRP is the only dataset containing facility-level greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data from major industrial sources across the United States. With three years of reporting for most sectors, GHGRP data are providing important new information on industrial emissions—showing variation in emissions across facilities within an industry, variation in industrial emissions across geographic areas, and changes in emissions over time at the sector and facility level. EPA is using this facility-level data to improve estimates of national greenhouse gas emissions, including using it to improve the U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory. The data are also being used to inform regulatory actions and voluntary emission reduction efforts.

  This document summarizes national industrial sector emissions and trends.

  Table 1: GHGRP Sector Classifications

  Industry Sector	Number of Reporters	Emissions (million metric tons CO2e)
  Power Plants	1,611	2,090
  Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems	2,058	217
  • Onshore Petroleum & Nat. Gas Prod.	497	88
  • Offshore Petroleum & Nat. Gas Prod.	106	6.5
  • Natural Gas Processing	394	60
  • Natural Gas Trans./Compression	462	23
  • Underground Natural Gas Storage	49	1.3
  • Natural Gas Local Distribution Co.	174	13
  • Liquefied Natural Gas Imp./Exp. Eq.	8	0.6
  • Liquefied Natural Gas Storage	4	**
  • Other Petroleum & Nat. Gas Systems	381	24
  Refineries	144	173
  Chemicals	463	170
  Non-Fluorinated Chemicals
  • Adipic Acid Production	3	7.4
  • Ammonia Manufacturing	22	25
  • Hydrogen Production	106	39
  • Nitric Acid Production	36	11
  • Petrochemical Production	65	52
  • Phosphoric Acid Production	12	2.1
  • Silicon Carbide Production	1	0.1
  • Titanium Dioxide Production	7	2.1
  • Other Chemicals Production	219	19
  Fluorinated Chemicals
  • Fluorinated GHG Production	16	7.4
  • HCFC-22 Prod./HFC-23 Dest.	5	4.3
  Waste	1,611	100
  • Industrial Waste Landfills	176	8.2
  • Municipal Landfills	1,217	79
  • Solid Waste Combustion	69	10
  • Industrial Wastewater Treatment	155	3
  Metals	297	107
  • Aluminum Production/td>	10	6.5
  • Ferroalloy Production	10	2.4
  • Iron and Steel Production	125	84
  • Lead Production	14	1.1
  • Magnesium Production	10	1.7
  • Zinc Production	6	1.0
  • Other Metals Production	122	9.7
  Minerals	369	107
  • Cement Production	96	60
  • Glass Production	107	8.2
  • Lime Manufacturing	74	30
  • Soda Ash Manufacturing	4	5.2
  • Other Minerals	89	3.8
  Pulp and Paper	232	42
  • Pulp and Paper Manufacturing	110	30
  • Other Paper Producers	122	12
  Other	1,419	123
  • Food Processing	31	30.8
  • Ethanol Production	166	17
  • Manufacturing	285	16
  • Universities	113	8.9
  • Military	44	2.6
  • Other Combustion	166	11
  • Underground Coal Mines	151	28
  • Electronics Manufacturing	53	5.1
  • Electrical Equipment Manufacturers	6	0.2
  • Electrical Equipment Use	123	3.4

  ^a The data presented here reflects data reported to the GHGRP as of 9/1/2013.
  ^bBiogenic emissions are NOT included in the total emissions.
  ** Total reported emissions are less than 0.05 million metric tons CO₂e.

  The GHGRP does not represent total U.S. GHG emissions, but provides facility level data for large sources of direct emissions, thus including the majority of U.S. GHG emissions. The GHGRP data collected from direct emitters represent about half of all U.S. emissions. When including greenhouse gas information reported by suppliers to the GHGRP, emissions coverage reaches approximately 85–90% (See Figure 1). The Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2012 contains information on all GHG emissions sources and sinks in the United States.

  Learn more about the differences between the Inventory and the GHGRP.

  Figure 1: U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory and the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program

  

  Suppliers are those entities that supply products into the economy that, if combusted, released, or oxidized, would emit GHGs into the atmosphere. Emissions associated with these fuels and industrial gases do not occur at the supplier’s facility but instead occur throughout the country, wherever they are used. An example of this is gasoline, which is supplied into the U.S. economy by a relatively small number of entities and consumed by many individual vehicles throughout the country. The majority of GHG emissions associated with the transportation, residential, and commercial sectors are accounted for by these suppliers. This document focuses on data reported by direct emitters. Data reported by suppliers can be viewed through the suppliers section of the Facility Level Information on GreenHouse gases Tool (FLIGHT).

  Table 2: Overview of GHG Data Reported (2012)
  Direct emitters
  Number of facilities reported	7,809
  Reported direct emissions (billion metric tons CO2e)	3.13
  Suppliers of fuel and industrial gases
  Number of suppliers	883
  Underground injection of carbon dioxide
  Number of carbon dioxide injection facilities	87

• Who reports?

  For 2012, 7,809 direct emitters submitted a GHG report. The Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems sector had the largest number of reporting facilities, followed by the Power Plants Sector and the Waste Sector. Among suppliers, Suppliers of Natural Gas and Natural Gas Liquids had the largest number of reporting facilities.

  Table 3: Number of Direct Emitters that Reported (2012)
  Industry Sector	Number of Reporters1
  Power Plants	1,611
  Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems	2,058
  Refineries	144
  Chemicals	463
  • Fluorinated Chemicals	16
  • Non-fluorinated Chemicals	447
  Waste	1,611
  Metals	297
  Minerals	369
  Pulp and Paper	232
  Other	1,419
  • Underground Coal Mines	151
  • Electrical Equipment Production & Use	129
  • Electronics Manufacturing	53
  • Other Combustion	1,090

  ¹ Totals sum to more than 7,809 because facilities with production processes in more than one sector are counted multiple times.

  Table 4: Number of Suppliers that Reported (2012)
  Supply Sector	Number of Reporters2
  Suppliers of Coal-Based Liquid Fuels	1
  Suppliers of Petroleum Products	234
  Suppliers of Natural Gas and Natural Gas Liquids
  • Natural Gas Distribution	365
  • Natural Gas Liquids Fractionation	119
  Suppliers of Industrial GHGs
  • Industrial GHGs	58
  • Imports and Exports of Equipment Pre–charged with Fluorinated GHGs or Containing Fluorinated GHGs in Closed–cell Foams	44
  Suppliers of Carbon Dioxide	137

  ² Totals sum to more than 883, because suppliers that fall into more than one sector are counted multiple times.

• Reported Emissions

  All GHG emissions data, displayed in units of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) reflect the global warming potential (GWP) values from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Climate Change 1995: The Science of Climate Change (Second Assessment Report (SAR), Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press). The SAR values also can be found in the version of Table A-1 to 40 CFR part 98, published in the Federal Register on October 30, 2009 (74 FR 56395).

  In 2012, 3.13 billion metric tons CO₂e were reported by direct emitters. The largest emitting sector was the Power Plant Sector with 2.09 billion metric tons CO₂e, followed by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems Sector with 217 million metric tons (MMT) CO₂e and the Petroleum Refinery Sector with 173 MMT CO₂e. This information, as well as average emissions per reporter, is shown in the following chart.

  Figure 2: Direct GHG Emissions Reported by Sector (2012)

  

  View this information in FLIGHT.

• Emissions Trends

  National level trends in greenhouse gas emissions are available through the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2012. The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program collects information from the largest stationary sources in the U.S. and provides nearly complete emissions coverage for many of the largest emitting industries. Discussion of the trend in reported emissions from 2010 (or in some cases 2011) to 2012 from individual industries that report to the GHGRP is included in the industry specific reports.

  While total U.S. emissions decreased by 1.8% from 2010 to 2011, emissions reported to the GHGRP increased over this period (Table 5). The increase occurred because 12 source categories were required to begin reporting for the first time in 2011. For these industries, 2011 is the appropriate base year for determining trends in reported emissions. Trends for other sectors can be determined using GHGRP data beginning in 2010 (Figure 3).

  Total U.S. emissions decreased by 3.4% from 2011 to 2012 based on the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2012 (April 2014). For facilities that reported to the GHGRP in 2011 and 2012, emissions declined by 4.5% (Table 5). This decline was driven by a 4.7% decline in emissions from power plants. In the two years since reporting began, emissions from power plants have decreased 10 percent.

  Table 5: Emissions Trends for U.S. GHG Inventory and GHGRP (2010-2012)
  	2010	2011	2012
  U.S. GHG Inventory
  Total emissions (million metric tons CO2e)	6,848.6	6,726.6	6,501.5
  Percent change in emissions from previous year	—	-1.8%	-3.4%
  GHGRP
  Number of direct-emitting facilities	6,267	7,6121	7,809
  Direct emissions (million metric tons CO2e)	3,180	3,2751	3,129
  Percent change in emissions from previous year	—	—	-4.5%

  ¹ Twelve additional source categories began reporting in 2011.

  Table 6: Emission Trends by Sector (2010-2012)
  Sector	2010 Emissions (MMT CO2e)	2011 Emissions (MMT CO2e)1	2012 Emissions (MMT CO2e)
  Power Plants	2,330.8	2,221.9	2,090.0
  Oil & Gas	NR	209.8	217.1
  Refineries	177.7	177.9	173.3
  Chemicals	NR	178.4	170.4
  • Fluorinated Chemicals	NR	13.9	11.7
  • Non-fluorinated Chemicals	156.0	164.5	158.7
  Waste	NR	98.8	99.9
  Metals	NR	112.3	106.8
  Minerals	101.1	103.2	107.5
  Pulp & Paper	45.8	43.8	42.1
  Other	NR	128.9	122.8
  • Underground Coal Mines	NR	29.9	27.7
  • Electrical Equipment Production & Use	NR	4.5	3.6
  • Electronics Manufacturing	NR	5.6	5.1
  • Other Combustion	89.2	88.9	86.4

  ¹ Twelve additional source categories began reporting in 2011.
  NR means that emissions are not shown for the 2010 reporting year for sectors in which emissions from some source categories in the sector were not required to be reported in 2010.

  Figure 3: Trends in Direct GHG Emissions (2010-2012)

  

  View this information in FLIGHT.

  (1) In reporting year 2011, emissions for some processes in this sector were reported for the first time.
  (2) Non-fluorinated Chemicals and Fluorinated Chemicals are components of “Chemicals” in FLIGHT.
  (3) Other Combustion, Underground Coal Mines, Electronics Manufacturing and Electrical Equipment Production & Use comprise “Other” in FLIGHT.

• Emissions by GHG

  Carbon dioxide represented 92.2% of the GHGs reported in 2012. The reported 2.89 billion metric tons represents about 54% of total U.S. CO₂ emissions. Reported methane emissions were 192.0 MMT CO₂e of methane, representing about 34%¹ of total U.S. methane emissions. Facilities reported 29.5 MMT CO₂e of N₂O, representing about 7%¹ of total U.S. N₂O emissions. Finally, reported emissions of fluorinated gases (HFCs, PFCs, SF₆) represent about 13%¹ of U.S. emissions of these compounds.

  ¹ Draft Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions And Sinks: 1990-2012 (April 2014)

  Figure 4: Direct Emissions by GHG (2012)

  

  The table below lists the primary sectors emitting each GHG.

  Table 7: Largest Sources of GHG Emissions
  Greenhouse Gas	Source Categories Contributing Most to Emissions1	Sectors Contributing Most to Emissions
  CO2	Electricity Generation (D), Stationary Combustion (C)	Power Plants
  CH4	Municipal Landfills (HH), Petroleum & Natural Gas Systems (W)	Waste, Petroleum & Natural Gas Systems
  N2O	Nitric Acid Production (V), Electricity Generation (D), Adipic Acid Production (E)	Chemicals, Power Plants
  SF6	SF6 from Electrical Equipment (DD), Magnesium Production (T)	Other, Metals
  NF3	Electronics Manufacturers (I)	Other
  HFCs	HCFC–22 Production and HFC–23 Destruction (O)	Chemicals
  PFCs	Aluminum Production (F), Electronics Manufacturers (I)	Metals, Other

  ¹ These source categories account for 75 percent or more of the reported emissions of the corresponding GHG. The subpart under which the emissions were reported is shown in parentheses.

• Geographic Distribution of Emissions

  Figure 5: Location and Total Reported Emissions from GHGRP Facilities (2012)

  

  This map shows the locations of direct-emitting facilities. The size of a circle corresponds to the quantity of emissions reported by that facility. There are also facilities located in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam.

  Readers can identify facilities in their state, territory, county, or city by visiting FLIGHT.

  Because it generally applies to facilities that emit greater than 25,000 metric tons CO₂e per year, the GHGRP provides total reported emissions from large stationary sources in each state. Figure 6 shows the reported emissions in each state broken out by industrial sector.

  Figure 6: Direct GHG Emissions by State and Sector (2012)

  

  View this information in FLIGHT.

• Emissions Range

  The GHGRP provides a comprehensive dataset that can be used to determine the number of facilities at various emissions levels in many industry sectors. The GHGRP can also be used to determine the total GHG emissions from individual facilities, including emissions from fossil fuel combustion and other processes. This information is valuable for planning future policies. GHGRP data provide policy makers with a better understanding of the number of facilities and total emissions that would be covered by potential GHG reduction policies for various industries.

  Figure 7: Percentage of All Reporting Facilities at Various Emission Ranges (2012)

  

  Eighty percent of reporting facilities had emissions less than 250,000 metric tons CO₂e. In 2012, the 650 largest-emitting facilities—those emitting more than 1,000,000 metric tons CO₂e—accounted for almost 2.3 billion metric tons CO₂e. These emissions represent 72.9% of the total 3.13 billion metric tons CO₂e reported. These high-emitting facilities are mainly Power Plants, but also include Petroleum Refineries, and facilities in the Chemicals and Metals sectors.

  You can use FLIGHT to list and sort facilities based on total reported emissions and find the largest emitting facilities in the country or a specific state or county. This tool also allows you to sort facilities by specific industry types.

  Figure 8: Facility Emission Ranges (2012)

  

• GHGRP Calculation Methods Used

  The GHGRP prescribes methodologies that must be used to determine GHG emissions from each source category. Reporters generally have the flexibility to choose among several methods to compute GHG emissions. The decision of which method to use may be influenced by the existing environmental monitoring systems in place and other factors. Reporters can change emission calculation methods from year to year and within the same year, as long as they meet the requirements for use of the method selected.

  For additional information on the methodologies that reporters use to determine GHG emissions, please read the GHGRP Methodology Factsheet.

• Report Verification

  All reports submitted to EPA are evaluated by electronic validation and verification checks. If potential errors are identified, EPA will notify the reporter, who can resolve the issue either by providing an acceptable response describing why the flagged issue is not an error or by correcting the flagged issue and resubmitting their annual GHG report.

  For additional information describing EPA’s verification process in more details, please read the GHGRP Verification Factsheet.

• For More Information

  For more detailed information from each industrial sector, view the GHGRP Data Highlights and select an industry from the text box on the right hand side.

  Use FLIGHT to view maps of facility locations, obtain summary data for individual facilities, create customized searchers, and display search results graphically.

  Downloadable spreadsheets containing summary data reported to the GHGRP from each reporter are available on the Data Downloads page.

  All other publicly available data submitted to the GHGRP are available for download through Envirofacts.

  The U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory contains information on all sources of GHG emissions and sinks in the United States from 1990 to 2012.