On June 2, President Obama proposed new EPA regulations to reduce the carbon dioxide pollution that's causing global warming. The new rules would reduce the carbon emissions of US power plants 30 percent by 2030. But not all plants are created equal—in fact, some are much dirtier than others.
According to a 2013 report, the following 15 primarily coal-fired power plants are the top emitters of carbon dioxide in the United States. For reference, your average passenger vehicle emits five metric tons of carbon dioxide per year—and these plants are exceeding that by millions and millions.
The Plant Scherer, Juliette, Georgia.
Operated by Georgia Power Company. Annual Carbon dioxide emission: 21.3 million metric tons.
Photo: John Amis/AP
James H. Miller, Jr. Electric Generating Plant, West Jefferson, Alabama.
Operated by Alabama Power Company. Annual carbon dioxide emission: 20.7 million metric tons.
Photo: PowerSouth
Martin Lake Power Plant, Texas.
Operated by Luminant Generation Company, LLC. Annual carbon dioxide emission: 18.8 million metric tons.
Photo: Luminant
Labadie Power Station, Labadie, Missouri.
Operated by Union Electric Co. Annual carbon dioxide emission: 18.5 million metric tons.
W.A. Parish Electric Generating Station, Thompsons, Texas.
Operated by NRG Texas Power, LLC. Annual carbon dioxide emission: 17.8 million metric tons.
Photo: David J. Phillip/AP
Gibson Station, Gibson County, Indiana.
Operated by Duke Energy Indiana Inc. Annual carbon dioxide emission: 16.9 million metric tons.
Photo: Duke Energy
General James M. Gavin power plant, Gibson County, Indiana.
Operated by Ohio Power Company. Annual carbon dioxide emission: 16.6 million metric tons.
Photo: American Electric Power/AP
FirstEnergy's Bruce Mansfield plant, Shippingport, Pennsylvania.
Operated by FirstEnergy Generation Corp. Annual carbon dioxide emission: 16.4 million metric tons.
Photo: Keith Srakocic/AP
Monroe Power Plant, Monroe, Michigan.
Operated by Detroit Edison Co. Annual carbon dioxide emission: 16.4 million metric tons.
Photo: Duke Energy
Navajo Generating Station, located on the Navajo Indian Reservation near Page, Arizona.
Operated by Salt River Project. Annual carbon dioxide emission: 15.9 million metric tons.
Photo: Ross D. Franklin/AP
Rockport Generating Station, Rockport, Indiana.
Pperated by Indiana Michigan Power Co. Annual carbon dioxide emission: 15.4 million metric tons.
Photo: ValleyWatch
Jeffrey Energy Center, Emmett, Kansas.
Operated by Westar Energy Inc. Annual carbon dioxide emission: 14.7 million metric tons.
Photo: Orlin Wagner/AP
Plant Bowen, Euharlee, Georgia.
Operated by Georgia Power Co. Annual carbon dioxide emission: 14.2 million metric tons.
Photo: Sam Nash/Wikimedia Commons
John E. Amos Power Plant, Winfield, West Virginia.
Operated by Appalachian Power Co. Annual carbon dioxide emission: 13.9 million metric tons.
Photo: Harry Schaefer/Wikimedia Commons
Four Corners Power Plant, Farmington, New Mexico.
Operated by Arizona Public Service Co. Annual carbon dioxide emission: 13.8 million metric tons.
Photo: Susan Montoya Bryan/AP
Top photo: Jeffrey Energy Center coal-fired power plant, Kansas – Charlie Riedel/AP