Greenhouse Gases From Labadie Plant Increasing, Says EPA

Ameren did not provide a response to the report by press time.

The EPA report states that in 2011 the Labadie power plant produced 18.2 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions compared to 17.3 million metric tons in 2010.

Ameren’s Labadie facility was the fourth largest emitter of greenhouse gases among large facilities nationally in 2011, the report states.

Nationally, the decrease in greenhouse gas emissions from power plants is attributed to an increase in power generated from natural gases and renewable sources.

Power plants still account for about one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

According to the EPA, greenhouse gases are the primary driver of climate change, which can lead to hotter, longer heat waves that threaten the health of the sick, poor or elderly.

The report is congressionally mandated through the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. Approximately 8,000 facilities in nine industry sectors were included in the 2011 report.

“Transparency ensures a better informed public, which leads to a better protected environment,” Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, said in a press release. “With this second data release, communities, businesses and others can track and compare facilities’ greenhouse gas emissions and identify opportunities to cut pollution, minimize wasted energy and save money.”