Power sector emissions in the United States have been on a downward trajectory since the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. As of 2023, sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from power plants had decreased by 95 and 89 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 28 percent, while gross electricity generation in the U.S. increased by roughly 13 percent, showing a decoupling of electricity demand and emissions growth.
Annual change in power sector emissions in the United States from 1995 to 2023, by type
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Environmental Protection Agency. (August 28, 2024). Annual change in power sector emissions in the United States from 1995 to 2023, by type [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved January 18, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1394863/annual-change-in-power-sector-emissions-by-type-us/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
Environmental Protection Agency. "Annual change in power sector emissions in the United States from 1995 to 2023, by type." Chart. August 28, 2024. Statista. Accessed January 18, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1394863/annual-change-in-power-sector-emissions-by-type-us/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
Environmental Protection Agency. (2024). Annual change in power sector emissions in the United States from 1995 to 2023, by type. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: January 18, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1394863/annual-change-in-power-sector-emissions-by-type-us/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
Environmental Protection Agency. "Annual Change in Power Sector Emissions in The United States from 1995 to 2023, by Type." Statista, Statista Inc., 28 Aug 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1394863/annual-change-in-power-sector-emissions-by-type-us/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
Environmental Protection Agency, Annual change in power sector emissions in the United States from 1995 to 2023, by type Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1394863/annual-change-in-power-sector-emissions-by-type-us/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed (last visited January 18, 2025)
Annual change in power sector emissions in the United States from 1995 to 2023, by type [Graph], Environmental Protection Agency, August 28, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1394863/annual-change-in-power-sector-emissions-by-type-us/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
