A new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council reveals that electrical utilities are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, and that the majority of this pollution is concentrated among a small group of producers.
"This report examines and compares the air pollutant emissions of the 100 largest power producers in the United States, based on 2004 plant ownership and emissions data. These producers include public and private entities (collectively referred to as 'companies' or 'producers' in this report) that own nearly 2,000 power plants and account for 88 percent of reported electric generation and 89 percent of the industry's reported emissions.
The report focuses on four power plant pollutants for which public emissions data are available: sulfur dioxide (SO2), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), mercury (Hg), and carbon dioxide (CO2). These pollutants cause or contribute to significant environmental and public health problems, including acid deposition, global warming, fine particulates, mercury deposition, nitrogen deposition, ozone smog, and regional haze.
The report benchmarks, or ranks, each company's absolute emissions and its emission rate (determined by dividing emissions by electricity produced) for each pollutant against the emissions of the other companies."
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
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