August 17, 2009—U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels are projected to decrease by 5 percent in 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Information Administration (EIA). The EIA’s Short-Term Energy Outlook released August 11, 2009, projects annual energy-related carbon dioxide emissions for the first time.
Economic downturns are generally bad news, but they do help reduce greenhouse gas emissions because businesses and industries use less energy and people generally drive less, notes DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). In 2008, energy-related carbon dioxide emissions decreased by 3.2 percent in the U.S., and that trend is expected to deepen this year, with overall greenhouse gas emissions following suit.
Other highlights of the EIA report include:
- Concerning electricity prices, EIA expects lower generation fuel costs in 2009 to be passed through to retail consumers later this year, keeping the annual average growth in prices at around 4.2 percent in 2009 and 2.6 percent in 2010.
- EIA expects the average delivered electric-power-sector coal price to increase from an average of $2.07 per million Btu in 2008 to $2.21 per million Btu in 2009. A significant portion of power-sector coal contracts were entered into during a period of high prices for all fuels. EIA expects the average delivered power-sector coal price to decline to $2.03 per million Btu in 2010 as expiring high-priced contracts are replaced.
