The Greenhouse 100

Regular Triple Crisis contributor James K. Boyce and his colleague Michael Ash, both professors of economics at the University of Massachusetts and researchers at the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI), released the Greenhouse 100 index late last month. The list, including the 100 U.S. companies responsible for the largest total greenhouse gas emissions based on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data, shows a stunning concentration of emissions at the very top. “The top ten companies emit 12.5 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from all sources, both stationary and mobile,” reports the press release describing the findings. “The Greenhouse 100 together account for 34 percent of emissions nationwide.” The full text of the press release follows, and the full list of the Greenhouse 100 can be found after the jump. In addition, a Real News Network interview, in which Michael Ash discusses the report, is available here. —Eds.

Researchers at the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst today released a new edition of the Greenhouse 100 index, ranking U.S. industrial polluters on the basis of their emissions of the gases responsible for global climate change.

Topping the list are three electrical power companies: Duke Energy, American Electric Power, and Southern Company. Each of the top three released over 100 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent emissions in 2014. Together, these three alone are responsible for more than five percent of greenhouse gas emissions from all sources combined in the United States – as much as the average annual emissions of about 75 million automobiles.

Other companies in the top ten are NRG Energy Inc., Berkshire Hathaway, Dynegy, Xcel Energy, FirstEnergy, and PPL Corporation. The U.S. government ranks sixth on the Greenhouse 100 list, weighing in at almost 75 million metric tons – equivalent to more than 15 million cars. US Steel, ranked number 21, is the top non-energy corporation on the list.

The top ten companies emit 12.5 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from all sources, both stationary and mobile. The Greenhouse 100 together account for 34 percent of emissions nationwide.

The data for the Greenhouse 100 rankings come from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, which reports emissions from large facilities in the United States for the year 2014. PERI researchers matched the individual facilities to their owners to produce the Greenhouse 100 rankings.

Users of the web-based Greenhouse 100 can see the breakdown of emissions for individual companies by facility. PERI researchers also calculated the percentages of low-income and minority populations living within 10 miles of each facility. These provide an indication of the extent to which emissions of the toxic co-pollutants – such as particulate matter, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide – that are produced along with greenhouse gases disproportionately impact these groups.

“The Greenhouse 100 index informs communities, consumers, and investors which large companies release the most climate pollutants into our air,” said Professor James K. Boyce, director of PERI’s Development, Peacebuilding and the Environment program. “People have a right to know about corporate responsibility for global climate change. Legislators need to understand the effects of corporate behavior on their constituents.”

The Greenhouse 100 accompanies PERI’s well-known “Toxic 100” rankings of corporate air and water polluters.

“In making this information available, we are building on the achievements of the right-to-know movement,” explains Professor Michael Ash, co-director of PERI’s Corporate Toxics Information Project. “Our goal is to engender public participation in environmental decision-making, and to help residents translate the right to know into the right to clean air, clean water, and a livable planet.”

Rank

Parent corporation or entity

2014 Emissions
(CO2 equivalent
metric tons)

Percentage of total U.S.
greenhouse gas emissions
from all sources *

Industrial Sectors

1

Duke Energy

122,474,576

1.84%

Power Plants, Other, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems, Waste

2

American Electric Power

121,098,420

1.81%

Power Plants, Other

3

Southern Co.

108,671,229

1.63%

Power Plants, Other

4

NRG Energy Inc.

100,224,829

1.50%

Power Plants, Other

5

Berkshire Hathaway

83,939,342

1.26%

Power Plants, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems, Other, Minerals, Chemicals

6

U.S. Government

74,687,012

1.12%

Power Plants, Other, Waste, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems, Chemicals

7

Dynegy

61,183,427

0.92%

Power Plants

8

Xcel Energy

56,506,228

0.85%

Power Plants, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems, Other

9

FirstEnergy

56,050,031

0.84%

Power Plants, Other

10

PPL Corp.

52,174,283

0.78%

Power Plants, Other, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems

11

Energy Future Holdings

51,929,011

0.78%

Power Plants

12

Calpine Corp.

41,692,267

0.62%

Power Plants

13

NextEra Energy, Inc.

40,023,063

0.60%

Power Plants, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems, Other

14

ExxonMobil

38,141,796

0.57%

Refineries, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems, Power Plants, Chemicals, Other

15

DTE Energy

35,491,147

0.53%

Power Plants, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems, Other, Metals

16

Dominion Resources Inc.

35,205,416

0.53%

Power Plants, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems, Other

17

Entergy

33,413,928

0.50%

Power Plants, Other, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems

18

AES Corp.

30,758,320

0.46%

Power Plants, Other

19

Ameren

30,564,382

0.46%

Power Plants, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems, Other

20

WEC Energy Group

29,539,057

0.44%

Power Plants, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems

21

United States Steel Corp.

28,059,727

0.42%

Metals, Waste, Other

22

Koch Industries

28,048,878

0.42%

Chemicals, Pulp and Paper, Refineries, Power Plants, Waste, Other, Minerals, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems

23

Phillips 66 Co.

27,557,802

0.41%

Refineries, Chemicals, Power Plants, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems, Waste

24

ArcelorMittal

26,373,195

0.40%

Metals, Other, Minerals

25

Great Plains Energy

24,831,317

0.37%

Power Plants, Other

26

Valero Energy

23,565,429

0.35%

Refineries, Chemicals, Other

27

Royal Dutch Shell

22,701,700

0.34%

Refineries, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems, Chemicals, Other

28

Talen Energy

22,379,059

0.34%

Power Plants

29

BP

21,229,033

0.32%

Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems, Refineries, Power Plants, Chemicals, Other

30

CMS Energy Corp.

20,619,534

0.31%

Power Plants, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems

31

Scherer Inc

20,482,460

0.31%

Power Plants

32

Chevron Corp.

20,413,271

0.31%

Refineries, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems, Chemicals, Power Plants, Waste, Other

33

OGE Energy

18,857,062

0.28%

Power Plants, Other, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems

34

Westar Energy

18,465,953

0.28%

Power Plants, Other

35

Santee Cooper

18,425,827

0.28%

Power Plants, Other

36

Pinnacle West Capital

18,006,614

0.27%

Power Plants, Other

37

CPS Energy

17,671,492

0.26%

Power Plants, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems, Other

38

Engie Energy International

17,529,508

0.26%

Power Plants, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems

39

Navajo Generating Station (single power plant)

17,248,449

0.26%

Power Plants

40

Marathon Petroleum Corp.

17,210,436

0.26%

Refineries, Power Plants, Other

41

Associated Electric Cooperative Inc

16,406,405

0.25%

Power Plants, Other

42

NiSource

16,192,919

0.24%

Power Plants, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems, Other

43

Basin Electric Power Cooperative

15,582,999

0.23%

Power Plants, Chemicals

44

Dow Chemical Co.

15,408,012

0.23%

Chemicals, Power Plants, Waste, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems, Other

45

TECO Energy

15,323,086

0.23%

Power Plants, Other, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems

46

Waste Management

14,922,927

0.22%

Waste, Power Plants

47

CF Industries

14,658,858

0.22%

Chemicals

48

LafargeHolcim

14,379,206

0.22%

Minerals

49

Air Products & Chemicals

13,396,204

0.20%

Chemicals, Power Plants

50

Scana

12,886,620

0.19%

Power Plants, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems, Other

51

Archer Daniels Midland

12,742,886

0.19%

Other, Pulp and Paper, Waste

52

JEA

12,691,041

0.19%

Power Plants, Other

53

Tesoro Corp.

12,156,680

0.18%

Refineries, Chemicals, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems

54

Omaha Public Power District

12,048,895

0.18%

Power Plants, Other

55

Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association

11,662,809

0.17%

Power Plants, Other

56

Ares Management

11,576,658

0.17%

Power Plants, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems

57

Alliant Energy

11,483,819

0.17%

Power Plants, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems

58

Republic Services Inc.

11,377,016

0.17%

Waste

59

Intermountain Power Agency

11,367,470

0.17%

Power Plants, Other

60

Ohio Valley Electric Corp.

11,321,687

0.17%

Power Plants, Other

61

San Juan (single power plant)

11,286,719

0.17%

Power Plants

62

Laramie River (single power plant)

11,039,099

0.17%

Power Plants

63

Great River Energy

11,008,066

0.16%

Power Plants, Other, Waste

64

EFS-N LLC (single power plant)

10,865,781

0.16%

Power Plants

65

Lower Colorado River Authority

10,685,825

0.16%

Power Plants, Other

66

Fortis

10,669,132

0.16%

Power Plants, Other, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems

67

Pentair Ltd.

10,548,203

0.16%

Power Plants

68

Alcoa Inc.

10,529,625

0.16%

Power Plants, Metals, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems, Other, Waste

69

Independence (single power plant)

10,415,920

0.16%

Power Plants

70

J.M Stuart Station (single power plant)

10,411,867

0.16%

Power Plants

71

LS Power

10,344,585

0.16%

Power Plants

72

Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG)

10,206,360

0.15%

Power Plants, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems, Other

73

Nebraska Public Power District

9,943,085

0.15%

Power Plants, Other

74

Buckeye Power Co

9,895,266

0.15%

Power Plants

75

Conemaugh (single power plant)

9,892,928

0.15%

Power Plants

76

Cleco

9,891,839

0.15%

Power Plants, Other

77

Allete

9,745,979

0.15%

Power Plants, Other

78

ConocoPhillips

9,735,497

0.15%

Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems, Refineries

79

Williams Cos.

9,606,616

0.14%

Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems, Power Plants, Chemicals

80

Peabody Energy Corp.

9,440,596

0.14%

Power Plants, Other

81

Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority

9,387,797

0.14%

Power Plants, Other

82

East Kentucky Power Cooperative

9,309,922

0.14%

Power Plants, Other

83

AK Steel

9,277,356

0.14%

Metals

84

Occidental Petroleum Co.

9,252,320

0.14%

Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems, Chemicals, Power Plants, Other

85

Salt River Project

9,187,517

0.14%

Power Plants, Other, Waste

86

Energy Transfer Equity

8,975,727

0.13%

Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems, Refineries, Other, Power Plants

87

PBF Energy

8,963,557

0.13%

Refineries, Chemicals, Power Plants

88

Tenaska

8,904,825

0.13%

Power Plants

89

Cemex

8,870,514

0.13%

Minerals

90

Consol Energy Inc.

8,850,247

0.13%

Other, Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems

91

Chemours

8,451,361

0.13%

Chemicals, Waste, Other

92

PDVSA (Petroleos de Venezuela S.A.)

8,436,850

0.13%

Refineries, Chemicals

93

Ohio Valley Resources Inc.

8,223,557

0.12%

Other

94

Seminole Electric Cooperative

8,215,430

0.12%

Power Plants

95

Big Rivers Electric Corp

8,068,939

0.12%

Power Plants

96

LyondellBasell Industries

7,720,397

0.12%

Chemicals, Refineries, Other

97

Eastman Chemical Co.

7,681,482

0.12%

Chemicals, Power Plants, Waste, Other

98

TransAlta

7,562,226

0.11%

Power Plants

99

SK Capital Partners

7,536,554

0.11%

Chemicals, Other, Waste

100

Enterprise Products Partners

7,469,453

0.11%

Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems, Chemicals

* Percentages are the parent corporation or entity’s percentage of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, including electric power, transportation, industrial, commercial, residential, and agricultural emissions, the total of which is 6,673 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents according to the April 2015 U.S. Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks. Note that this total is for 2013 while Greenhouse 100 parent and facility emissions are for 2014.

The links from each parent name lead to an application that gives detailed facility and sector information about the company. You can also search for companies not on the Greenhouse 100. For more information on the data, see the technical notes.

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