The Less and Less Friendly Skies

coalpollution.jpg Sure, the U.S. as a whole emits more harmful gases that any other country. But when you look at the latest data on a state-by-state level, it's clear that some states contribute to the problem a whole lot more than others.

Here are some tidbits from the U.S. Department of Energy's numbers for 2003, the most recent data available:

• Texas and Alaska each account for large shares of U.S. crude oil production, but even they are surpassed by the Federal offshore areas in the Gulf of Mexico and California, which produces roughly one-fourth of the U.S. total.
• Texas has vast proved reserves of natural gas - about one-fourth of the Nation's total and roughly twice as much as the proved reserves found in Wyoming, the State with the next highest amount.
• Wyoming leads the Nation in coal production; it typically produces more coal than the combined production of the next four top coal-producers - West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Montana.
• California generates more electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind energy sources than any other State, and Washington leads the Nation in hydroelectric power generation and in generation from all renewables (including hydroelectric) combined.
• Illinois and Pennsylvania rely to a great extent on nuclear power for electricity generation and, together, they account for approximately one-fifth of the Nation's nuclear power generation.