The most carbon polluting power plant in the United States is the coal-fired James H. Miller Jr. Electric Generating Plant in Alabama. The Miller Plant released roughly ********** short tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in 2023. In total, the ** most polluting U.S. power plants emitted *********** short tons of CO₂ in 2023.
Where are U.S. power sector emissions highest?
Two of the most carbon polluting power plants in the U.S. were located in Texas in 2023. The Lone Star State is the largest contributor to U.S. power sector emissions by far, having released some *********** metric tons of carbon dioxide (MtCO₂) in 2022.
Power sector emissions in the U.S.
The electric power sector is the second-largest source of emissions in the U.S., surpassed only by the transportation sector. In previous years the electric power sector was the main source of emissions, but thanks to advances in technology and renewable energy uptake, emissions from this sector have fallen considerably in recent years. By comparison, transportation emissions have been on the rise.
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Environmental Protection Agency. (February 15, 2024). Carbon dioxide emissions from the most polluting power plants in the United States in 2022 and 2023 (in million short tons) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved July 25, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1198665/emissions-most-polluting-power-plants-united-states/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Carbon dioxide emissions from the most polluting power plants in the United States in 2022 and 2023 (in million short tons)." Chart. February 15, 2024. Statista. Accessed July 25, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1198665/emissions-most-polluting-power-plants-united-states/
Environmental Protection Agency. (2024). Carbon dioxide emissions from the most polluting power plants in the United States in 2022 and 2023 (in million short tons). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: July 25, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1198665/emissions-most-polluting-power-plants-united-states/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Carbon Dioxide Emissions from The Most Polluting Power Plants in The United States in 2022 and 2023 (in Million Short Tons)." Statista, Statista Inc., 15 Feb 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1198665/emissions-most-polluting-power-plants-united-states/
Environmental Protection Agency, Carbon dioxide emissions from the most polluting power plants in the United States in 2022 and 2023 (in million short tons) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1198665/emissions-most-polluting-power-plants-united-states/ (last visited July 25, 2025)
Carbon dioxide emissions from the most polluting power plants in the United States in 2022 and 2023 (in million short tons) [Graph], Environmental Protection Agency, February 15, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1198665/emissions-most-polluting-power-plants-united-states/