A rebound in the use of coal-generated energy caused toxic power-plant emissions to be higher in 2021 than in 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced last month.
Increases in the price of natural gas and in energy demand triggered the jump in use of coal, the EPA states in the Feb. 18 announcement. The agency also reported that although emissions were higher last year, they fell up to nearly 11 percent compared to 2019, continuing a years-long trend of decreasing annual emissions.
“The 2021 increase in coal-fired generation and resulting rise in air pollution shows how important it is to urgently forge ahead in building and supporting a cleaner power sector,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in the report.
EPA data from 2021 showed a one-year, 16-percent increase in coal generation and a 3% decrease in natural gas generation; during that year, demand for electricity increased 3 percent compared to a year earlier, according to the report. The increased burning of coal triggered jumps from 6 percent to 13 percent in emissions of pollutants including nitrogen oxides (NOX), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon dioxide (CO2), and mercury from power plants, the EPA reports.
“Additionally, ozone season (May 1 to September 30) NOx emissions increased by 5%," EPA officials write in the report. "Overall, based on the first 11 months of 2021, electricity demand increased by 3% compared to 2020.”
A family of poisonous, highly reactive gases, nitrogen oxides are formed when fuel is burned at high temperatures, the EPA states on its website. Carbon dioxide is a heat-trapping gas; and sulfur dioxide is a colorless gas with a pungent odor. The toxic emissions are released into the air from burning coal.
"NOX and SO2 emissions contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone and particulate matter, which can lead to respiratory and cardiovascular problems," EPA officials write in the report, "and exposure to mercury, a potent neurotoxin, effects the nervous system and brain functions, particularly in infants and children, and is known to cause other significant health effects."
EPA policies and regulations enforcement since 1990 have led to a 94 percent reduction in SO2 and an 88 percent drop in NOX emissions from power plants, the EPA reports. These long-term reductions in air pollutants are attributed to changes made in the fuels used to generate electricity.
“Thanks in part to EPA rules and policies, we have made great progress in lowering dangerous pollution over the last several decades," Administrator Regan said in the report. "But it’s clear our work is far from done, as we deliver on our commitment to protect the health of everyone and especially those most vulnerable among us.”
