The Heaviest Polluting Power Plants in the United States

Inexpensive and widely available, coal has been a primary driver of development and economic growth around the world for well over a century. Coal is also the heaviest polluting fossil fuel, generating about 36% more carbon emissions than petroleum, and nearly twice as much as natural gas – and in the era of climate change, the global power sector is increasingly moving toward cleaner energy. 

According to Global Electricity Review 2026, a recent report from Ember, the net amount of electricity derived from coal burning plants worldwide fell by more than 62 terawatt hours from 2024 to 2025. Notably, the United States presented a stark break from the global trend, producing about 85 more terawatt hours of electricity from coal plants in 2025 than the previous year. 

Increased reliance on coal in the United States is likely a direct reflection of the White House’s policy priorities. Since taking office in January 2025, the Trump administration has taken sweeping action by deregulating coal and allocating hundreds of millions of dollars to bolster the industry – building new infrastructure and modernizing existing plants. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, Trump’s policies will save or support 45 coal plants and keep as many as 42 mines operational. 

An important component of the U.S. energy grid, coal plants account for about 16% of all domestic electricity production. But while a single coal burning plant can generate enough power to support well over one million average American homes, many of these same facilities also generate the same amount of carbon pollution as entire countries. 

Using data from the Environmental Protection Agency, Climate Crisis 247 identified the heaviest polluting power plants in the United States. We ranked all power plants on total reported greenhouse gas emissions in 2023, the latest year of available data. Supplemental information on electricity output is from Grid Info, a power plant and electric utilities database. Calculations to determine the approximate number of households each plant on this list can support were made using the annual electricity use of an average American household, as reported by the Energy Information Administration. Data on carbon emissions by country are from the World Bank. 

10. Colstrip Power Plant in Colstrip, Montana

• Reported annual greenhouse gas emissions: 11.0 million metric tons (approx. equal to the annual carbon footprint of Estonia )
• Annual electricity output: 8.2 terawatt hours (enough to power approx. 759,893 American homes)
• Plant parent company: Northwestern Corp (96.5% of company’s emissions generated by plant)
• Plant type and age: Coal burning, first operational in 1975

9. Laramie River Power Plant in Wheatland, Wyoming

• Reported annual greenhouse gas emissions: 11.0 million metric tons (approx. equal to the annual carbon footprint of Kyrgyzstan )
• Annual electricity output: 8.0 terawatt hours (enough to power approx. 741,359 American homes)
• Plant parent company: Tri-State Generation & Transmission Assoc. Inc. (92.3% of company’s emissions generated by plant)
• Plant type and age: Coal burning, first operational in 1981

8. Harrison Power Station Power Plant in Haywood, West Virginia

• Reported annual greenhouse gas emissions: 11.2 million metric tons (approx. equal to the annual carbon footprint of Lebanon )
• Annual electricity output: 11.1 terawatt hours (enough to power approx. 1.0 million American homes)
• Plant parent company: Firstenergy Corp (73.3% of company’s emissions generated by plant)
• Plant type and age: Coal burning, first operational in 1972

7. Monroe Power Plant in Monroe, Michigan

• Reported annual greenhouse gas emissions: 11.4 million metric tons (approx. equal to the annual carbon footprint of Zambia )
• Annual electricity output: 15.8 terawatt hours (enough to power approx. 1.5 million American homes)
• Plant parent company: DTE Energy Co. (47.4% of company’s emissions generated by plant)
• Plant type and age: Coal burning, first operational in 1969

6. Prairie State Generating Station Power Plant in Marissa, Illinois

• Reported annual greenhouse gas emissions: 11.5 million metric tons (approx. equal to the annual carbon footprint of Afghanistan )
• Annual electricity output: 12.2 terawatt hours (enough to power approx. 1.1 million American homes)
• Plant parent company: Prairie State Energy Campus Management (100% of company’s emissions generated by plant)
• Plant type and age: Coal burning, first operational in 2012

5. Oak Grove Power Plant in Franklin, Texas

• Reported annual greenhouse gas emissions: 12.3 million metric tons (approx. equal to the annual carbon footprint of Honduras )
• Annual electricity output: 12.0 terawatt hours (enough to power approx. 1.1 million American homes)
• Plant parent company: Vistra Corp (14.2% of company’s emissions generated by plant)
• Plant type and age: Coal burning, first operational in 2010

4. Martin Lake Power Plant in Tatum, Texas

• Reported annual greenhouse gas emissions: 12.8 million metric tons (approx. equal to the annual carbon footprint of Zimbabwe )
• Annual electricity output: 9.0 terawatt hours (enough to power approx. 834,028 American homes)
• Plant parent company: Vistra Corp (14.8% of company’s emissions generated by plant)
• Plant type and age: Coal burning, first operational in 1977

3. Gen. J. M. Gavin Power Plant in Cheshire, Ohio

• Reported annual greenhouse gas emissions: 13.5 million metric tons (approx. equal to the annual carbon footprint of Slovenia )
• Annual electricity output: 13.2 terawatt hours (enough to power approx. 1.2 million American homes)
• Plant parent company: Lightstone Generation LLC (70.3% of company’s emissions generated by plant)
• Plant type and age: Coal burning, first operational in 1974

2. Labadie Power Plant in Labadie, Missouri

• Reported annual greenhouse gas emissions: 15.4 million metric tons (approx. equal to the annual carbon footprint of Puerto Rico )
• Annual electricity output: 15.4 terawatt hours (enough to power approx. 1.4 million American homes)
• Plant parent company: Ameren Corp (78.2% of company’s emissions generated by plant)
• Plant type and age: Coal burning, first operational in 1970

1. James H Miller Jr. Power Plant in Quinton, Alabama

• Reported annual greenhouse gas emissions: 16.6 million metric tons (approx. equal to the annual carbon footprint of Nepal )
• Annual electricity output: 19.1 terawatt hours (enough to power approx. 1.8 million American homes)
• Plant parent company: Powersouth Energy Cooperative (86.6% of company’s emissions generated by plant)
• Plant type and age: Coal burning, first operational in 1978