EIA report shows CO2 emissions had record decrease in 2015

A new data set from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reveals that coal-related CO2 emissions saw a record drop in 2015, driven by a more than 60 percent annual decrease across 10 states.

Nearly every state boasted a decline in that period, though. Only four states saw increases related to coal and three others plus the District of Columbia maintained the zero or nearly zero coal emissions they had already managed in 2014. Texas and a collection of Midwestern states were leading the pack for change, though, with the electric power sector dramatically reducing coal-fired electricity generation in favor of natural gas. Illinois has the biggest decline in coal consumption over all, with Alabama and Indiana following.

In total, the U.S. produced 231 million metric tons less CO2 in 2015. The EIA saw total energy-related CO2 emissions continue to decrease in 2016 and also projects a drop in 2017, but predicts a rise in 2018.

Lower prices of natural gas are the largest factor in the change. Likely compliance deadline-related closures also saw retirement of nearly 15 GW of coal-fired electric generating capacity. For the entire United States in 2015, the result was a 15 percent fall in coal-fired generation, stacked up against a 20 percent natural gas increase. While natural gas use does create its own share of CO2 emissions, it doesn’t compare to coal: CO2 saw a 231 million metric ton output drop for coal, and only a 43 million metric ton gain from natural gas use.