Ohio State, landfill and brewery among largest greenhouse gas emitters in county

Each year as temperatures warm and rainfall becomes more erratic, there's a growing awareness of climate change. 

That means companies are taking a hard look at their emissions and sustainable practices as consumers are demanding corporations create and transport their products while having a smaller carbon footprint.

Previous coverage:Huntington, L Brands among companies reporting effects of climate change

Emissions data for the largest greenhouse gas emitters was released by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in October, revealing the largest polluters in Franklin County. The list includes Ohio State University's McCracken Power Plant, the landfill operated by the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio and the Anheuser-Busch Columbus Brewery.

In Franklin County, large greenhouse gas emitters released 421,627 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in 2019. Officials from several organizations running facilities told The Dispatch they are working to make reductions.

"As a company, we have a goal to reduce our carbon emissions across our value chain by 25% by 2025, and we are committed to doing our part to find innovative new solutions to our sustainability challenges here in Columbus," said Josh Zabek, general manager of Anheuser-Busch Columbus Brewery. 

More:Ohio State scientists seek funds to preserve rare ice core collection

As companies move forward with sustainable plans, it's important "that they are doing so in a way that equitably supports the communities that they are located in," said Neil Waggoner, who manages the Ohio Beyond Coal campaign with the Ohio chapter of the Sierra Club.

The emissions data is made available through the U.S. EPA's greenhouse gas reporting program and is updated each October. The program requires producers that emit more than 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year to report their emissions. Of the 8,000 facilities nationally that report emissions each year, there are six in Franklin County.

Though the data doesn't show all U.S. or state emissions, these emitters represent about half of total U.S. emissions, according to EPA's website.

Priority: Stop warming

There is a race to stop carbon dioxide emissions, which trap heat in the atmosphere and foster conditions for climate change. Human activities are responsible for almost all of the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over the last 150 years, according to the U.S. EPA. Nationally, the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions are from burning fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation.

Carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere for between 300 and 1,000 years, according to NASA. Methane stays in the atmosphere for nine years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Although methane dissipates sooner than carbon dioxide, it packs a powerful punch in escalating climate change — it is 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere, according to NOAA.

While the Trump administration has eased environmental regulations by rolling back nearly 100 environmental rules, companies have continued to make environmental commitments.

"More and more companies are not just making aggressive commitments on greenhouse gas reductions directly, but they're committing to apply their requirements to their suppliers. And that's where we move from 100 or 200 major companies doing this to tens of thousands of medium- and small-sized companies doing this because they're starting to feel pressure from their corporate buyers," said Michael P. Vandenbergh, 

director, Climate Change Research Network at Vanderbilt University Law School.

"That can be transformative, and it can create a global network of contract requirements, that function much like an international agreement," he said. "That can continue even absent the political difficulties of getting countries to agree with one another or getting the federal government to act the way it should."

Earth already is on course by 2050 to be about 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit warmer compared with pre-industrial times. The rise in temperatures will eliminate some animal species, create worsening floodplains where homes are located and mean more intense heat waves.

Ohio State University’s Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center forecasts that by mid-century, central Ohio will be about 3 to 5 degrees warmer, even if greenhouse gas emissions are lowered. If emissions continue to increase, the increase could be 4 to 6 degrees.

The county's largest polluters

The largest emitter of carbon dioxide in 2019 in Franklin County was Ohio State University's McCracken Power Plant on campus, which produced 148,495 metric tons of carbon dioxide. 

The university is in the process of moving forward with a $278 million project for a combined heat and power plant which would become the primary source of electricity and heating for its Columbus campus.

"The Combined Heat and Power Plant is expected to cut carbon emissions by more than 30% in its first full year of operations," said Dan Hedman, director of marketing and communications for the university's Office of Administration and Planning.

But environmentalists have questioned the touted drops in emissions.

"There was a lot of high-minded praise for the idea that the campus is going to be more sustainable. At the end of the day, they're building a major new source of greenhouse gas pollution and air pollution on campus," Waggoner said. 

The project, he said, is short sighted. It assumes fossil fuel energy generation will continue to dominate the grid.

"It doesn't take into consideration, what happens if a lot of clean energy comes online?" Waggoner said.

In September, the Ohio Power Siting Board paved the way for Ohio State's project. The opinion accused environmentalists of trying to coerce Ohio State.

"In today’s environment, lesser institutions might have been bullied off course by the passionate advocacy from stakeholders attached unyieldingly to their beliefs," wrote former Chairman Sam Randazzo, who resigned last week after FBI agents searched his home. 

More:Planned Ohio State power plant gets regulatory approval

"This Combined Heat and Power Plant project is good for OSU, it is good for the environment and the issuance of a certificate to construct and operate the proposed facility is the right thing to do," the 54-page opinion stated.

Hedman said the combined heat and power plant is the most affordable way that Ohio State can achieve the greatest emission reductions in the shortest amount of time.

"Renewable energy is an important part of Ohio State’s path to carbon neutrality and the Combined Heat and Power Plant facility could be converted to support renewables in the future," he said. "In fact, wind energy from the Blue Creek Wind Farm has been a considerable source of energy for the university since 2013, with nearly 100,000 MWh purchased from the wind farm last year."

The runner-up for top carbon dioxide emissions in Franklin County was the Anheuser-Busch Columbus Brewery facility, which released 32,903 metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2019. The brewery is located on 138 acres on the North Side east of Worthington and is capable of making 10 million barrels of beer per year.

Last year, Anheuser-Busch also announced plans to purchase the renewable electricity credits from the energy delivered to the grid generated from a new solar energy facility in Texas. The company touts a robust recycling percentage of materials and reported a reduction of more than 30% in greenhouse gas emissions since 2010.

"We recognize that there is more work to be done in order to build a more sustainable future for our friends and neighbors, but alongside our suppliers and local partners, we are constantly exploring new ways to work together in pursuit of our ambitious sustainability goals," Zabek said in a statement.

Once the Texas facility is operational, it will mean 100% of the company's electricity will come from renewable sources.

"Look, more investment in clean energy is a great thing. We need more of that," Waggoner said. "I think that's gonna be a huge driver of clean energy development. ... But it's really important that these facilities and these companies are looking at their local emissions."

Carbon offsets don't do anything for the communities where the pollution is happening, he said.

"Let's see how these plans actually lower emissions locally, and not just from a market-wide approach," Waggoner said.

More:AEP to make 40% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030

Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio's landfill released 171,427 metric tons of methane.

Decomposing landfilled materials contribute to the generation of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, among other air pollutants. SWACO, which is working to reduce emissions, told The Dispatch that the waste management program partners with Aria Energy. As part of the partnership, methane gas is captured and turned into energy.

"To date, we’re pleased to be able to report that 75% of the gas we capture is converted into a renewable resource," said Hanna Greer-Brown, a communications manager with SWACO.

But Greer-Brown said the landfill, which everyone uses, means there is a personal responsibility when it comes to emissions.

Going into the holidays, waste typically increases, she said. Food waste represents 15%, by weight, of the material entering the landfill. That's nearly a million pounds of food coming to the landfill each day. 

For every garbage bag that goes to the landfill there is a ripple effect.

"If we're serious about emissions, we need to reduce materials going into the landfill," Greer-Brown said, noting there are programs that encourage recycling and composting.

bburger@dispatch.com

@ByBethBurger