Power sector emissions in the United States have been on a downward trajectory since the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. As of 2022, sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from power plants had decreased by 93 and 87 percent since 1995, respectively. Retrofitted air pollution control technologies at power plants, such as scrubbers, have helped reduce emissions of these air pollutants.
During this same period, carbon dioxide emissions from power plants fell 22 percent, while gross electricity generation in the U.S. increased 12 percent, showing a decoupling of electricity demand and emissions growth.
Annual change in power sector emissions in the United States from 1995 to 2022, by type
Characteristic
SO₂
NOx
CO₂*
Gross generation*
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Environmental Protection Agency. (May 19, 2023). Annual change in power sector emissions in the United States from 1995 to 2022, by type [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1394863/annual-change-in-power-sector-emissions-by-type-us/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Annual change in power sector emissions in the United States from 1995 to 2022, by type." Chart. May 19, 2023. Statista. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1394863/annual-change-in-power-sector-emissions-by-type-us/
Environmental Protection Agency. (2023). Annual change in power sector emissions in the United States from 1995 to 2022, by type. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: July 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1394863/annual-change-in-power-sector-emissions-by-type-us/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Annual Change in Power Sector Emissions in The United States from 1995 to 2022, by Type." Statista, Statista Inc., 19 May 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1394863/annual-change-in-power-sector-emissions-by-type-us/
Environmental Protection Agency, Annual change in power sector emissions in the United States from 1995 to 2022, by type Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1394863/annual-change-in-power-sector-emissions-by-type-us/ (last visited July 22, 2024)
Annual change in power sector emissions in the United States from 1995 to 2022, by type [Graph], Environmental Protection Agency, May 19, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1394863/annual-change-in-power-sector-emissions-by-type-us/