Annual change in U.S. power sector emissions 1995-2023, by type

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.