This visualization shows greenhouse gas emissions from large emitting facilities in the Northwest in 2019 and 2020. Note that the 2020 data reflect COVID-19’s impact on energy use and consumption.

The EPA defines a "large emitting facility" as one that emits 25,000 metric tons or more of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) per year. These facilities are required to report emissions to the EPA through the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP).

The emissions in this visualization are broken down by industry sector (type of facility) and gas (which greenhouse gas is being emitted). The total reported direct emissions are equal to the sum of emissions by all gas types, except for biogenic CO₂, which is not included in the total. According to the EPA, that is because fossil and biogenic carbon interact with the carbon cycle on different timescales.

Industrial facilities are energy-intensive. Several require high temperatures to effectuate chemical transactions; the facilities themselves require a lot of energy to operate; and for some processes energy resources are required to directly create the industrial product. The EPA provides Sector Data Highlights for each industry as well as an Overview of Greenhouse Gases.

Under Emissions by Gas, CO₂ is listed in two categories: Biogenic CO₂ emissions and non-biogenic CO₂ emissions. Non-biogenic CO₂ emissions include those from the combustion of fossil fuels, the use of sorbent, and other non-combustion processes. In contrast, biogenic CO₂ emissions are defined as emissions directly resulting from the combustion or decomposition of biologically based materials other than fossil fuels. Among industrial facilities, biogenic CO₂ emissions primarily come from manufacturing pulp and paper and wood products due to the industries’ reliance on biomass for fuel.

For further reading, explore the Clean Energy Transition Institute's projects on industrial decarbonization and blog post about the industrial emissions maps.

Hover your mouse over the circles to see information about each facility and click for more options.

Click on the "reset" button (fourth from the right in the bottom right-hand toolbar) to return to the original view. To learn about interacting with the visualizations, visit Tableau Tips.

Each circle on the map represents a large emitting facility and is color-coded to show the industry sector. The circle size represents the amount of annual emissions that the facility reported. Filter by greenhouse gas type, industry sector, year, and facility by using the menu on the right.

Note: Keep in mind that the scale adjusts when a filter is applied. The resulting scale is relative to the other elements within that filter and is shown in the legend on the right.