How clean is each form of power? The US EPA has updated its
database of the environmental characteristics of almost all
electric power generated in the United States. These environmental
characteristics include air emissions for nitrogen oxides, sulfur
dioxide, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide; emissions
rates; net generation; resource mix; and many other attributes,
plus summary charts and tables. The eGrid database (Emissions &
Generation Resource Integrated Database) now includes data from
2007.Like Canadian provinces, the US states vary dramatically in
their sources of electricity, which are directly reflected in both
their air quality and their politics. Iowa, for example, has a
rapidly growing wind sector, which last year provided more than 15%
of the state's electricity. In 2007, Nevada was the US leader
in geothermal. Kentucky and North Dakota relied almost entirely on
coal; Washington DC burned only oil; Connecticut was half powered
by nuclear; Idaho
