EEI’s member electric companies are working to deliver the resilient and secure energy that runs our economy and powers our daily lives. We are using a diverse, balanced, and domestic energy mix that is increasingly clean and helps ensure reliability. And, we are significantly reducing emissions from the electric power sector and practicing environmental stewardship. 

Electric companies are investing in a broad range of carbon-free technologies, battery storage, and other methods that help to reduce emissions while powering our communities. These efforts help to strengthen America’s energy security and meet rising demand for electricity while keeping customer bills as low as possible.

EEI member companies remain committed to addressing climate change and have implemented initiatives over the last 30 years to reduce, prevent, or sequester greenhouse gas emissions. 

According to preliminary estimates, despite growing demand, the electric power sector’s carbon emissions were 41 percent below 2005 levels as of year-end 2024. Since 2016, the electric power industry has emitted less carbon dioxide than the transportation sector, which is the nation’s leading source of carbon dioxide emissions.

U.S. Power Sector CO₂ Emissions Are Declining

CO₂ Emissions: Electric Power, Transportation, and Industrial Sectors

In addition to carbon dioxide emissions, EEI member companies have made significant progress on reducing other types of air emissions.

• Since 1990, the electric power industry has cut sulfur dioxide emissions by 96 percent and nitrogen oxides emissions by 90 percent.
• As a result of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards and other Clean Air Act regulations, from 2010 to 2017, the electric power industry reduced mercury emissions by 86 percent and total emissions of hazardous air pollutants by 96 percent. National total electric power sector mercury emissions have been reduced by 96 percent between 1990 to 2023 (from 59 to 2.4 tons per year).

Power Plant Emissions Decreasing Significantly

The mix of resources used to generate electricity in the United States has changed over the last decade and is becoming increasingly cleaner. Today, 42 percent of all U.S. power generation comes from clean, carbon-free resources, including nuclear energy and renewables. Natural gas generation provides 42 percent of the country’s total electricity generation.

Electric companies also are deploying more energy storage to help the grid integrate increasing amounts of new generation resources while supporting resilience and reliability. Electric companies are the largest users and operators of the approximately 40 gigawatts of operational storage in the country, representing 92 percent of active energy storage projects.

Developing and deploying a broad range of advanced clean energy technologies helps diversify our energy mix, enhance resilience and reliability, boost economic development, and reduce emissions from the electric power sector while electric companies work to keep customer bills as low as possible.

These technologies include long-duration energy storage, carbon capture and storage, advanced nuclear, renewable generation, enhanced geothermal, grid-enhancing technologies, and clean fuels (e.g. hydrogen, renewable natural gas, and ammonia). 

EEI member companies continue to pursue opportunities to work with state and federal agencies and state governments on clean energy technology research, development, and deployment efforts, which include continued advocacy for federal policies and legislation that support the development of clean energy technologies and related infrastructure and financial mechanisms.

In order to distribute electricity to hundreds of millions of homes and businesses throughout the United States—from dense urban communities to vast rural areas—electric companies own and manage hundreds of thousands of acres of land and the natural resources found on them. The industry works in partnership with federal, state, and local agencies to ensure that we meet all applicable wildlife and land protection statutes and regulations.

Siting and Permitting

Across the nation, EEI’s member companies continue to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while building new generation capacity, including natural gas and renewables, to meet rising electricity demand. 

However, building new energy infrastructure remains challenging, as project siting and environmental and land-use permitting can cause significant delays. 

We must streamline siting and permitting requirements, align public policy goals, and encourage capital investment to rapidly build out the energy grid and other critical infrastructure needed to power data centers, bolster domestic manufacturing, and support the electrification of other sectors of the economy. 

Learn more about EEI’s public policy priorities.

Water is an essential component of electricity production. The production of electricity requires water for fuel processing, cooling, materials handling, combustion efficiency, and environmental control. EEI’s members are active water resource users, working to comply with federal, state, and local regulations while efficiently using and returning water to our nation’s rivers and streams.

EEI members also are active in waste management issues, including developing management and recycling systems. They also manage the impacts of coal ash—a byproduct of burning coal to generate electricity that can be reused in products, including cement, concrete, wallboard, and roofing materials, or stored in surface impoundments or landfills. 

EEI and our member companies continue to work with the Environmental Protection Agency on updates to the coal ash programs that regulate how coal ash is managed and stored. We remain committed to addressing any potential impacts and taking measures that promote safety, protect the environment, minimize impacts on the community, and manage costs for customers.