EPA unveils new tool for tracking greenhouse gas

The most detailed data yet on emissions of heat-trapping gases shows U.S. power plants are responsible for the bulk of the pollution blamed for global warming.

Power plants released 72 percent of the greenhouse gases reported to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for 2010, according to information released last month that was the first catalog of global warming pollution by facility.

The data shows the same holds true locally, with NIPSCO's Schahfer Generating Station in Wheatfield emitting the most greenhouse gases of any local facility in the database, with 10,876 kilometric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2010.*

Nick Meyer, spokesman for NIPSCO, said the utility company has made great strides in reducing emissions from its coal-fired plants. NIPSCO set a target of reducing its carbon emissions by 7 percent by 2012. Meyer said the utility met the voluntary goal by 2011.

"Certainly when you look at the source of emissions, these types of emissions follow where there are these types of industries and coal-fired electric energy," Meyer said. "Coal is abundant, safe and inexpensive. It's why Indiana enjoys some of the lowest electric utility rates in the country."

Nationally, refineries were the second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, with 5.7 percent of the reported total. The top states in greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and refineries were Texas, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio and Indiana.

Locally, steel mills were the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases. U.S. Steel Gary Works had the second-highest emissions in the region with 9,031 kilometric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. That was followed by ArcelorMittal's Indiana Harbor East in East Chicago at 7,987 kilometric tons.

ArcelorMittal released a statement in response to the findings.

"It's important to note that coal is a critical and irreplaceable component of virgin steel-making, and thus its use will generate CO2 emissions," the statement reads. "While ArcelorMittal, and the steel industry as a whole, has made significant progress since 1990 in reducing overall CO2 emissions, we will continue to generate CO2 until economically feasible technology is identified to reduce or eliminate coal as a component of the steelmaking processes."

The statement goes on to say ArcelorMittal has been working for "several years with industry players and leading universities to find alternatives, but no such technologies have been successfully identified to date."

Representatives from U.S. Steel did not respond to requests for comment.

– The Associated Press contributed to this report.

*Editor's note: This story has been corrected from an earlier version. A story appearing in The Times Monday on a new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tool for tracking greenhouse gases contained an error. The emissions are measured in kilometric tons. The Times regrets the error.