Climate
2008 Report Shows Oil & Gas Industry as One of The Largest Air Polluters in La Plata County
La Plata County, Colorado greenhouse gas inventory estimates that the
gas industry is responsible for at least two-thirds of La Plata
County's annual CO2 equivalent emissions. Read the consultant's
report and read the County's summary report.
A summary of the report released by the County states:
In 2006, the La Plata County Board of County Commissioners approved a resolution
supporting the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. The agreement urges
federal and state governments to enact policies and programs to meet or beat the target of reducing global warming pollution levels to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012, including efforts to reduce the United States' dependence on fossil fuels and accelerate the development of clean, economical energy resources and fuel-efficient technologies such as conservation, methane recovery for energy generation, waste to energy, wind and solar energy, fuel cells, efficient motor vehicles, and biofuels.
During the fall of 2007, La Plata County took the first step outlined in the Agreement by
commissioning an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions in the County. This report
conveys the results of the inventory and forecasting effort that will form the foundation
for the County to set realistic reduction targets and create an action plan that addresses
local opportunities for emissions reductions.
Based on data for the baseline year of 2005, La Plata County's total greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions from the above sources are estimated to be 5,019,511 tons of carbon
dioxide equivalent (tCO2e). As the figure below indicates, these emissions are forecasted to decrease to 3,523,633 tCO2e by 2020. The decrease in emissions is driven by reduced production in the natural gas industry. Over the same period, emissions from all other activities in the community are anticipated to grow from 1,333,645 tCO2e to 2,058,387 tCO2e.
Read the County's entire report.
Read the consultant's entire report.
