California is 4th largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels in nation

AMHERST, Mass. – Data released by the University of Massachusetts Amherst today reveals that California, the seventh largest producer of oil and natural gas in the county, is the fourth largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel in the nation.

Texas, Wyoming, Louisiana, California and Illinois are the top five states in the quantity of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels supplied within their border in the inaugural Greenhouse 100 Suppliers State List released today, according to researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Political Economy Research Institute (PERI). The list features state-level rankings for the quantity of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels introduced into the U.S. Economy.

The institute said the rankings expand on PERI’s Greenhouse 100 Suppliers Index, a comprehensive ranking of corporations that contribute to U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by supplying fossil fuels. The lists are based on the most recent data available from the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The researchers say that the list provides “a window into corporate responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions and potential liability for the resulting damage to Earth’s climate.”

“In making this information available, we are building on the historic achievements of the right-to-know movement,” explains Professor Michael Ash, co-director of PERI’s Corporate Toxics Information Project. “Our goal is to engender public participation in environmental decision-making, and to help residents translate the right to know into the right to clean air, clean water and a livable planet.”

According to the study, California produced 316.7 million metric tons (mmt) of CO2 from supplied fuels in 2021. That’s 6.8 percent of the national total.

Of that total, 224.8 million metric tons of CO2 came from petroleum and 92 mmt from natural gas. None came from coal. The top supplier of these emissions is Chevron, followed by Marathon Petroleum, Sempra Energy, PG&E Corporation and PBF energy.

The top 5 supplier facilities in California are Tesoro Refining & Marketing – Carson Refinery, Southern California Gas Company End User Emissions (LDC), Pacific Gas & Electric, Chevron MM El Segundo and Chevron MM Richmond.

Texas leads nation’s greenhouse gas emissions with 1,129.4 million metric tons

As could be expected, Texas, the largest oil and natural gas producer in the country, was first in the nation in greenhouse gas production with 1,129.4 million metric tons, including 759.1 mmt from oil, 348.3 mmt from natural gas and 22.0 from coal.

Wyoming finished second with 425.9 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. This includes 15.8 mmt from oil, 3.3 mmt from natural gas and 406.8 mmt from coal, according to the list.

Louisiana finished third with 405.8 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. That includes 373.0 mmt from oil, 32.4 mmt from natural gas and 0.4 from coal.

Finally, Illinois finished fifth with 277.1 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. That includes 143.1 mmt from oil, 51.6 mmt from natural gas and 82.4 mmt from coal.

Four oil companies account for 25 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions in U.S.

On the national level, four oil companies — Marathon Petroleum, Phillips 66, Valero Energy and ExxonMobil — top the index. They account collectively for one-quarter of the total greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion in the U.S. economy.

Rounding out the top 10 are two coal companies, Peabody Energy (No. 5) and Arch Resources (No. 7), three additional oil companies, Chevron (No. 6), PBF Energy (No. 9) and PDVSA (No. 10), and a natural gas firm, Enterprise Products Partners (No. 8). The top 10 fossil fuel suppliers alone account for over 40% of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel in the U.S.

The list was released just one day after CalGEM data analyzed by FracTracker Alliance and Consumer Watchdog revealed that the total number of new and reworked oil and gas drilling permits issued in California since Governor Newsom took office in 2019 has soared to an amazing 15,722.

During the first nine months of 2023, CalGEM approved at least 820 permits to rework/redrill existing wells in vulnerable communities living within 3,200 feet of oil drilling operations, according to a new FracTracker report.

The good news? Overall, permitting slowed in the third quarter of 2023 over the year before falling 65%. For a complete permit update, see: https://newsomwellwatch.com

Why did California produce 316.7 million metric tons (mmt) of CO2 from supplied fuels in 2021 and why do California regulators continue to approve hundreds of new and reworked oil drilling permits each quarter?

It’s all due to regulatory capture by Big Oil and Big Gas in California. The Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), Chevron and the oil companies exercise their influence and power through a very sophisticated public relations machine in California and the U.S.

WSPA and the oil companies wield their power in 8 major ways: through (1) lobbying; (2) campaign spending; (3) serving on and putting shills on regulatory panels; (4) creating Astroturf groups; (5) working in collaboration with media; (6) sponsoring awards ceremonies and dinners, including those for legislators and journalists; (7) contributing to non profit organizations; and (8) creating alliances with labor unions, mainly construction trades.

The oil and gas industry spent over $34.2 million in the 2021-22 Legislative Session lobbying against SB 1137, legislation to mandate 3200 foot buffer zones around oil and gas wells, and other bills they were opposed to: cal-access.sos.ca.gov/…    .

The two biggest spenders were WSPA and Chevron. WSPA spent $11.7 million in the 2021-22 session, while Chevron spent a total of $8.6 million lobbying California officials.

About the Greenhouse 100 Suppliers Index

The Greenhouse 100 Suppliers Index is the first comprehensive database to cover emissions from all three fossil fuels: oil, natural gas and coal. The rankings are based on 2021 data from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Project (GHGRP) on oil and natural gas suppliers, together with data on coal suppliers from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and the Mine Safety and Health Administration, using methods described in a peer-reviewed journal article. (Coal suppliers were exempted from the reporting requirements of the GHGRP.) This latest edition of the Greenhouse 100 Suppliers contains more detailed data, especially for coal mines.

In their second year, the Greenhouse 100 Suppliers rankings come with an open-access database that provides information on all fossil fuel suppliers in the country and by state, both at the level of individual facilities and at the level of parent corporations that own them, as well as a comprehensive search tool for every fossil fuel corporation.

Below are the charts documenting the greenhouse gas emissions in California from the University of Massachusetts Amherst:

Top 5 Supplier Companies in California

Top 10 Supplier Facilities in California