States Doubling Down on Fossil Fuels
Clean energy production has surged in the United States in recent years. As demand for electricity has steadily grown, the cost of emission-free power has fallen considerably. According to a recent report from Climate Central, the dollars per megawatt-hour cost of solar and wind power declined respectively by 76% and 51% between 2010 and 2024. Partially as a result, these sources alone generated three times the amount of electricity in 2025 than they did a decade earlier – enough to power over 79 million average American homes.
The recent boom in clean energy production is good news for the global effort to combat climate change – but the progress may not last. Since taking the oath of office in January 2025, President Donald Trump has cut billions in funding for clean energy research, cancelled massive wind farm projects, and expanded the use of fossil fuels like oil, natural gas, and coal.
Due largely to rising demand, electricity production from fossil fuel-burning power plants was already on the rise in the United States, even before the second Trump administration. According to the Energy Information Administration, fossil fuels including natural gas, petroleum, and coal, generated 2.43 million gigawatt-hours of electricity in the U.S. in 2024, a 1.8% increase from the previous year. Despite the increase, due to rapid expansion of alternative energy sources, fossil fuels accounted for only 60.4% of U.S. electricity production in 2024, down from 61.3% in 2023.
At the state level, however, year-over-year increases in electricity production from fossil fuel-burning power plants were far more pronounced than they were nationwide.
Using data from the EIA, Climate Crisis 247 identified the states that are doubling down on fossil fuels. We ranked all states on the relative change in the amount of electricity produced from fossil fuels between 2023 and 2024. Fossil fuel-derived electricity includes any produced through natural gas, liquid petroleum, coal, and petroleum coke. Only the 10 states with the largest relative year-over-year increase in electricity from these sources are ranked. Vermont was excluded from analysis, as fossil fuels account for less than 1% of annual statewide electricity production.
Among the states on this list, the amount of electricity derived from fossil fuels increased by anywhere from 6.5% to over 65% between 2023 and 2024. Notably, as was the case across the country as a whole, fossil fuels accounted for a smaller share of the overall power grid in 2024 than in 2023 in two of these states.
10. Indiana
- 1-year change in electricity generated from fossil fuels: +6.5% (4,806 GWh)
- Electricity generated from fossil fuels in 2024: 91.6% of total)
- Electricity generated from fossil fuels in 2023: 94.6% of total)
- Top fossil fuel in state power grid in 2024: Coal (47.4% of total electricity production)
- Top fossil fuel in state power grid in 2023: Coal (52.7% of total electricity production)
9. Oklahoma
- 1-year change in electricity generated from fossil fuels: +7.0% (3,479 GWh)
- Electricity generated from fossil fuels in 2024: 57.2% of total)
- Electricity generated from fossil fuels in 2023: 56.4% of total)
- Top fossil fuel in state power grid in 2024: Natural Gas (50.7% of total electricity production)
- Top fossil fuel in state power grid in 2023: Natural Gas (50.5% of total electricity production)
8. Mississippi
- 1-year change in electricity generated from fossil fuels: +7.1% (4,142 GWh)
- Electricity generated from fossil fuels in 2024: 83.2% of total)
- Electricity generated from fossil fuels in 2023: 82.6% of total)
- Top fossil fuel in state power grid in 2024: Natural Gas (78.7% of total electricity production)
- Top fossil fuel in state power grid in 2023: Natural Gas (76.9% of total electricity production)
7. New York
- 1-year change in electricity generated from fossil fuels: +7.3% (4,218 GWh)
- Electricity generated from fossil fuels in 2024: 54.6% of total)
- Electricity generated from fossil fuels in 2023: 52.5% of total)
- Top fossil fuel in state power grid in 2024: Natural Gas (54.3% of total electricity production)
- Top fossil fuel in state power grid in 2023: Natural Gas (52.1% of total electricity production)
6. Tennessee
- 1-year change in electricity generated from fossil fuels: +9.9% (2,904 GWh)
- Electricity generated from fossil fuels in 2024: 43.5% of total)
- Electricity generated from fossil fuels in 2023: 38.6% of total)
- Top fossil fuel in state power grid in 2024: Coal (23.0% of total electricity production)
- Top fossil fuel in state power grid in 2023: Coal (20.3% of total electricity production)
5. North Carolina
- 1-year change in electricity generated from fossil fuels: +10.3% (6,735 GWh)
- Electricity generated from fossil fuels in 2024: 54.3% of total)
- Electricity generated from fossil fuels in 2023: 52.6% of total)
- Top fossil fuel in state power grid in 2024: Natural Gas (41.4% of total electricity production)
- Top fossil fuel in state power grid in 2023: Natural Gas (41.3% of total electricity production)
4. Massachusetts
- 1-year change in electricity generated from fossil fuels: +10.3% (1,448 GWh)
- Electricity generated from fossil fuels in 2024: 88.7% of total)
- Electricity generated from fossil fuels in 2023: 86.0% of total)
- Top fossil fuel in state power grid in 2024: Natural Gas (87.8% of total electricity production)
- Top fossil fuel in state power grid in 2023: Natural Gas (85.4% of total electricity production)
3. Idaho
- 1-year change in electricity generated from fossil fuels: +10.4% (572 GWh)
- Electricity generated from fossil fuels in 2024: 31.3% of total)
- Electricity generated from fossil fuels in 2023: 32.0% of total)
- Top fossil fuel in state power grid in 2024: Natural Gas (31.3% of total electricity production)
- Top fossil fuel in state power grid in 2023: Natural Gas (32.0% of total electricity production)
2. Virginia
- 1-year change in electricity generated from fossil fuels: +21.4% (10,980 GWh)
- Electricity generated from fossil fuels in 2024: 63.7% of total)
- Electricity generated from fossil fuels in 2023: 58.8% of total)
- Top fossil fuel in state power grid in 2024: Natural Gas (61.6% of total electricity production)
- Top fossil fuel in state power grid in 2023: Natural Gas (57.1% of total electricity production)
1. Maine
- 1-year change in electricity generated from fossil fuels: +65.5% (2,492 GWh)
- Electricity generated from fossil fuels in 2024: 48.1% of total)
- Electricity generated from fossil fuels in 2023: 34.9% of total)
- Top fossil fuel in state power grid in 2024: Natural Gas (47.5% of total electricity production)
- Top fossil fuel in state power grid in 2023: Natural Gas (34.0% of total electricity production)
