Dive Brief:

• Greenhouse gas emissions from the nation's power plants fell 4.5% from 2011 to 2012, the Environmental protection Agency reported Wednesday. Emissions were down 10% in the two years since EPA began collecting the data in 2010. The agency also released a map of where the power plants are located and their emission levels.  
• The reduction is attributable to the closure of some coal-fired plants and greater reliance on natural gas for electricity generation.
• EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said that “putting this data in the hands of the public increases transparency, supports accountability, and unlocks innovation.”

​​Dive Insight:

The U.S. has set a goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions 17% by 2020. The 1,611 power plants reporting to EPA are responsible for two-thirds of GHGs released by nine industry sectors tracked in the report. A week doesn't go by without an announcement that another coal-fired plant is slated to be closed, so the decline noted by EPA should continue.