EPA News Release:

EPA Opens Public Comment on Proposal Granting Louisiana Primacy for Carbon Sequestration and Protection of Drinking Water Sources

 

DALLAS, TEXAS – (April 28, 2023) Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) opened public comment on a proposal to grant the State of Louisiana’s request for primary responsibility – or primacy – of Class VI wells under the Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program, which regulates the injection of carbon dioxide (CO2) into deep rock formation. Class VI injection wells—when used as a part of carbon capture and storage and carbon dioxide removal projects—are a critical tool for cutting carbon emissions and combatting the climate crisis.

 

Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, EPA has developed specific criteria to ensure that when carbon dioxide is stored underground to reduce greenhouse gases and confront climate change, underground sources of drinking water are protected. EPA’s proposal also follows guidance from the Council on Environmental Quality to ensure that the advancement of carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration technologies are done in a responsible manner that incorporates the input of communities and reflects the best available science.

 

“EPA is moving with urgency to combat the climate crisis, and this proposal would help leverage critical technologies to cut harmful climate pollution that jeopardizes people’s health and safety,” said EPA Region 6 Administrator Earthea Nance. “As an agency that is advancing environmental justice, EPA listened to the community voices in the region and worked extensively with the state of Louisiana to ensure its primacy application reflected essential environmental justice and equity considerations. As we work to finalize this proposal, EPA will seek and consider public feedback and continue to prioritize protections for our most vulnerable communities while ensuring they have a meaningful seat at the table.”

 

EPA is committed to advancing environmental justice for marginalized and overburdened communities, an essential part of the agency’s mission to protect public health and the environment. In a letter to governors and Tribal leaders in December of 2022, Administrator Michael S. Regan called for partnership to combat climate change while ensuring protections for underserved and overburdened communities. As part of this effort, EPA worked with the State of Louisiana to strengthen practices that protect the state’s vulnerable communities. Louisiana Department of Natural Resources’ application for primacy of the Class VI UIC program reflects these critical considerations, integrating environmental justice and equity considerations into their permitting process, including enhanced community engagement and evaluation of project impacts on overburdened communities.

 

After conducting a comprehensive technical and legal review, EPA determined that the State of Louisiana’s Class VI UIC program meets all requirements for approval and the state will implement and enforce a Class VI UIC program consistent with the Safe Drinking Water Act. EPA is requesting public comments on the Agency’s proposed decision within 60 days after date of publication in the Federal Register.

 

EPA will hold an in-person public hearing on June 15, 2023, in Baton Rouge, LA. To sign up for the hearing and learn more information please visit: https://www.epa.gov/uic/underground-injection-control-epa-region-6-ar-la-nm-ok-and-tx In addition to the public hearing, EPA requests that comments be sent via the Federal Register, docket number EPA-HQ-OW-2023-0073.

 

For more information: : https://www.epa.gov/uic/primary-enforcement-authority-underground-injection-control-program-0

 

 

 

Background

UIC Class VI injection wells are used to store underground carbon dioxide that has been captured from an emissions source or the atmosphere. Class VI injection wells—when used as a part of carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) projects—are a critical tool for reducing carbon emissions to meet mid-century climate goals. CO2 is injected through specially constructed wells that deposit and store material deep beneath the earth in rock formations. These formations must be tested and evaluated to ensure that geologic formations are suitable for the safe containment of CO2 for long-term storage. This technology will provide well-paying jobs and can be implemented in an environmentally responsible way.

 

EPA has, under the Safe Drinking Water Act, developed stringent federal requirements for injecting CO2 that protect public health by ensuring injection wells do not contaminate underground sources of drinking water (USDWs). These UIC regulations mandate using a variety of measures to assure that injection activities will not endanger USDWs. EPA also follows guidance from the Council on Environmental Quality to ensure that the advancement of carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration technologies are done in a responsible manner that incorporates the input of communities and reflects the best available science.

Five Southwest Missouri Residents Plead Guilty to Kidnapping

 News Release:

Thursday, April 27, 2023

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Five southwest Missouri residents have pleaded guilty in federal court to their roles in a kidnapping conspiracy that resulted in the death of the victim.

Amy Kay Thomas, 39, of Webb City, Mo., and Lawrence William Vaughan, also known as “Scary Larry,” 51, of Newton County, Mo., pleaded guilty today in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool. Thomas and Vaughan each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping. Thomas also pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Co-defendants Carla Jo Ward, 49, of Joplin, Mo., James B. Gibson, 40, of Neosho, Mo., and Russell Eugene Hurtt, also known as “Uncle,” 51, of Greenwood, Mo., pleaded guilty earlier this month to their roles in the kidnapping conspiracy. Ward and Gibson also each pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

By pleading guilty, the five defendants admitted they participated in a conspiracy to kidnap the victim, identified as “M.H.,” in July 2020 in retaliation for him helping to retrieve a stolen trailer. Ward picked up M.H. and took him to Vaughan’s residence. Thomas and Gibson arrived at Vaughan’s residence in the early morning hours of July 15, 2020. They bound M.H.’s hands with handcuffs, and duct tape was placed around his mouth and other parts of his body. In Vaughan and Ward’s presence, Thomas cut M.H. repeatedly with a knife; Gibson beat M.H. with a club and burned him with a blowtorch. M.H. was fatally shot in the head. They wrapped M.H.’s body in plastic wrap and transported it to Hurtt’s property.

Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Hurtt’s property on July 28, 2020, based on information that a deceased body was located on the acreage. When officers attempted to contact the occupants of the residence, a co-conspirator fired multiple shots from inside the residence at the officers before being apprehended. Officers found M.H.’s body on the property.

Officers searched the residence and found multiple firearms, including a disassembled HR1871 12-gauge shotgun with a sawed-off butt and a shotgun barrel inside a box. Officers also found a burned cell phone that contained photos and screen shots from a video of M.H. being assaulted.

Under federal statutes, each of the five defendants is subject to a sentence of up to life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the FBI, the Newton County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Neosho, Mo., Police Department, the Joplin, Mo., Police Department, and the Cherokee County, Kan., Sheriff’s Department.

Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF)

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Updated April 27, 2023

Former St. Joseph Police Officer and His Wife, a Former Deputy, Plead Guilty to Fraud Scheme Against Fraternal Order of Police

 News Release:

Thursday, April 27, 2023

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A former St. Joseph, Mo., police officer and his wife, a former Buchanan County, Mo., sheriff’s deputy, have pleaded guilty in federal court to a wire fraud scheme in which they used debit cards from a local lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, where they served as officers, for unauthorized expenses.

Michael A. Hardin,  47, and his wife, Sarah J. Hardin, 43, pleaded guilty in separate appearances to multiple counts of wire fraud.  Michael Hardin appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lajuana M. Counts on Tuesday, April 25. Sarah Hardin appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Greg Kays on Wednesday, April 26.

Michael Hardin, a former officer with the St. Joseph Police Department, was the president of the Fraternal Order of Police Northwest Missouri Lodge #3 for approximately 10 years, until January 2020. Sarah Hardin, formerly a deputy with the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department, was the treasurer of the lodge for approximately 10 years, until January 2020. The lodge, headquartered in St. Joseph, is a fraternity of approximately 300 law enforcement officers from police departments in nine northwest Missouri counties.

By pleading guilty, the Hardins admitted they used debit cards linked to the bank accounts of the Fraternal Order of Police Northwest Missouri Lodge #3 to make unauthorized purchases.

Sarah Hardin admitted that she made hundreds of personal purchases with the lodge’s debit card while serving as treasurer, which the government’s financial analysis concluded totaled at least $77,342. The government’s financial analysis concluded an additional $22,484 in unauthorized purchases were made from the lodge’s bank accounts between 2015 and 2019.

Sarah Hardin specifically admitted to making personal purchases at Menards, Party City, HyVee, Walmart, and Sam’s Club. The purchases included fence panels and fence posts for a fence at her residence; flowers, potting soil, bench cushions, and LED lights for her residence; and letter balloons spelling out the word “Falcons” for an event at her child’s school.

Michael Hardin specifically admitted to fraudulently using the lodge’s debit card for payments in 2017 to Hampton Inn twice and to Life Lock Advantage. The government’s financial analysis concluded that Michael Hardin conducted transactions to cover unauthorized expenses that totaled between $6,500 and $15,000 with lodge funds during his time as lodge president.

Under the terms of their plea agreements, the Hardins must pay a money judgment in an amount to be determined by the court based on the proceeds they obtained as a result of the fraud scheme.

Under federal statutes, the Hardins are each subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole on each of three counts of wire fraud. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney R. Pratten and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Venneman. It was investigated by the FBI.

Updated April 27, 2023

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 EPA Press Office:

Tesoro to Pay $27.5 Million For Violating Previous Court Order Requiring Them to Reduce Air Pollution at Their Martinez, Calif. Refinery

Settlement Will Result in Cleaner Air Due to Tesoro’s Forfeiture of Air Emission Credits

Tesoro to Pay $27.5 Million For Violating Previous Court Order Requiring Them to Reduce Air Pollution at Their Martinez, Calif. Refinery

Settlement Will Result in Cleaner Air Due to Tesoro’s Forfeiture of Air Emission Credits

 

Contact: John Senn, 415-972-3999, senn.john@epa.gov

SAN FRANCISCO (April 27, 2023) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice today announced that Tesoro Refining and Marketing Company will pay a $27.5 million penalty for violating a 2016 consent decree ordering the company to reduce air pollution at its petroleum refinery in Martinez, Calif. In particular, according to today’s settlement, Tesoro failed to limit air emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOX), a pollutant that contributes to smog.

The settlement requires Tesoro to adhere to strict pollution controls at the facility. The facility is currently undergoing conversion into a renewable fuels plant, which will use renewable sources such as vegetable oils to produce fuels instead of crude oil. The settlement also sets up a framework for additional pollutant reductions, including significant climate co-benefits. Specifically, the settlement requires Tesoro to forego hundreds of annual emission credits that it could otherwise sell to area sources who could then increase their emissions.

“Tesoro did not meet the consent decree pollution limit because it did not install adequate pollution controls,” said Acting Assistant Administrator Larry Starfield for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “As this settlement shows, EPA will seek substantial penalties when companies delay installing appropriate pollution controls to meet environmental obligations.”

“Today, we are holding Tesoro accountable for its failure to implement court-ordered pollution controls,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “This settlement requires Tesoro to forfeit substantially more air emission credits than the excess emissions associated with its violations, resulting in cleaner air for those who live and work in the San Francisco area.”

“Tesoro failed to meet its requirement to reduce air pollution at the Martinez refinery, and EPA is now taking firm action to hold Tesoro accountable,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “This settlement ensures that Tesoro complies with stringent air pollution limits, to protect neighboring communities regardless of fuel type.”

In May 2020, Tesoro suspended operations at the Martinez refinery and then announced its plan to convert the refinery to a renewable fuels plant. Today’s agreement includes requirements to limit air pollution from the future renewable fuels plant. The agreement does not prohibit Tesoro from resuming petroleum refining, but if it does so, Tesoro must install specific air pollution control technology, at an expected cost of $125 million, to ensure stringent NOX emission limits are met.

To mitigate pollution resulting from its violation of the 2016 consent decree, Tesoro agreed to surrender most of its existing NOX emission trading credits. Tesoro also agreed to forego almost all trading credits from the shutdown of petroleum refining equipment should it convert to a renewable fuels plant. A company can receive emission credits by shutting down equipment and then apply such credits to offset emissions from new projects or trade such credits to other companies for their use. By requiring Tesoro to surrender existing credits and forego petroleum-related shutdown credits if it converts to a renewable fuels plant, the settlement prevents Tesoro and other local sources from using these credits. Thus, the settlement filed today will limit emissions in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Specifically, if Tesoro resumes petroleum refining, the settlement requirements will reduce annual air emissions by about 261 tons of NOX. If Tesoro converts the facility to a renewable fuels plant, the settlement will result in annual air emissions reductions of about 440 tons of NOX, 327 tons of sulfur dioxide, 697 tons of carbon monoxide, 69 tons of volatile organic compounds, 301 tons of fine particulate matter, and the equivalent of 1,342,025 metric tons of carbon dioxide. 

The terms of a 2016 federal consent decree, which resolved Clean Air Act violations at the Martinez refinery and five other refineries nationwide, established emission limits for multiple pollutants including NOX. The settlement announced today, which will modify the 2016 settlement, includes new requirements that apply whether Tesoro chooses to reopen the Martinez facility as a petroleum refinery or a renewable fuels plant.

There will be a 30-day public comment period on the modification to the 2016 settlement. Information on how to comment on the modification will be available in the Federal Register and on the Department of Justice’s website:  www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees.

For more information on the 2016 federal consent decree and today’s agreement, go to 2023 Tesoro Martinez Clean Air Act Settlement Information Sheet | US EPA.

Learn more about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook and on Twitter.

Braymer Man Sentenced to 32 Years for Cattle Fraud Scheme That Led to Murders

 News Release:

$215,000 Fraud Scheme Led to the Murders of Two Wisconsin Brothers

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Braymer, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for a $215,000 cattle fraud scheme that he attempted to cover up by murdering two Wisconsin brothers.

Garland Joseph Nelson, 28, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 32 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Nelson to pay $260,925 in restitution to his victims.

On Oct. 4, 2022, Nelson pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Nelson admitted that he defrauded a Shawano County, Wisconsin company, Diemel’s Livestock, LLC, of $215,000 in a cattle contract.

Nelson is also serving two life sentences in a separate state case related to the murders of Nicholas and Justin Diemel, two brothers who were principals in Diemel’s Livestock. Nelson’s federal prison sentence must be served consecutively to his state sentence.

Nelson – an employee of J4s Farm Enterprises, Inc., a business started by his mother – agreed to care for cattle belonging to Diemel’s Livestock. Diemel’s Livestock invested and traded in cattle and other livestock. Nelson agreed to feed and pasture the cattle, then sell the cattle and send Diemel’s Livestock the proceeds (minus the costs of raising the cattle).

The Diemels sent several loads of cattle to Nelson from November 2018 through April 2019. Nelson sold some loads of cattle and paid the Diemels. However, Nelson admitted he killed many of the Diemels’s cattle and then fraudulently billed the Diemels for feed and yardage for the dead cattle.

Nelson admitted that he did not properly care for cattle due to incompetence, neglect, or maltreatment. Hundreds of calves entrusted to Nelson died due to underfeeding, neglect, and/or maltreatment. Nelson fed cattle inadequately and poorly. For example, he dropped feed bales in a pasture for calves but did not remove the plastic covering so that calves ate the plastic and died.

Throughout the spring of 2019, Nicholas Diemel pressed Nelson for payment for his cattle.  He sent no more loads of cattle to Nelson while he awaited his payment.

To deprive the Diemels of their cattle or their money and to prevent them from recovering either their cattle or their money, in June 2019 Nelson fraudulently sent the Diemels a bad check for $215,936 while his bank account had a balance of 21 cents. The check had been intentionally torn and damaged so that it could not be submitted for payment.

Nelson told the Diemels they could come to Missouri to get their money. On July 17, 2019, Nicholas Diemel bought two round-trip airline tickets from Milwaukee to Kansas City. On July 20, 2019, Nicholas and Justin Diemel arrived in Kansas City and rented a pickup truck from Budget.

On July 21, 2019, the Diemels drove their rental truck to Nelson’s mother’s farm in Braymer. Nelson’s mother and other family members were in Branson for the weekend, so Nelson was alone on the farm. Nelson murdered both of the Diemels and attempted to dispose of their bodies, but the remains were later found by investigators.

Nelson also was in possession of a Marlin 30-30 rifle and ammunition from July 18 to July 21, 2019.  Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Nelson has a 2015 federal felony conviction for an earlier cattle fraud scheme that resulted in losses of more than $262,000 to his victims, as well as two prior state felony convictions for passing bad checks.

According to court documents, Nelson engaged in at least two more cattle fraud schemes. In December 2018, Nelson was entrusted with feeding and caring for 131 calves he co-owned with a Kansas farmer (less than a year after he was released from prison for his 2015 conviction and in direct contravention to the conditions of his supervised release). On May 23, 2019, Nelson dropped off 35 calves at the co-owner’s farm in Kansas, apparently all that survived of the 131. Of the surviving 35 calves, many were emaciated and had ringworm; some could not even walk onto a truck to be transported. Some calves had their ears torn as though identifying ear tags had been removed.

According to court documents, those calves were involved in another cattle fraud scheme engaged by Nelson. Nelson told a Bogard, Mo., farmer that he would furnish all the food and medicine for 131 bottle calves and pay the farmer a dollar per day per calf for the use of his barn and the time he would spend feeding the calves. Nelson bought almost no food or medicine for the calves in the five months he kept them at the Bogard farm. Instead, the farmer paid $14,363 out of his own pocket for food and veterinary care for the calves. Nor did Nelson ever pay anything to the farmer for the use of his barn and time spent feeding and caring for the calves as he had promised. (Nelson’s mother later paid the farmer $2,000.) In late April 2019, Nelson picked up the living bottle calves from the Bogard farm and took them to his mother’s farm. On May 23, 2019, Nelson dumped the 35 remaining calves without warning at the Kansas farm. This was a problem because the Kansas farmer had a closed dairy herd and bringing unvaccinated and potentially diseased calves onto his property put his existing herd at risk.

On Sept. 30, 2022, Nelson pleaded guilty to two counts of murder in the first degree in Johnson County, Mo., and was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole on each count to run consecutively.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen D. Mahoney and Nicholas Heberle. It was investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General, the Caldwell County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Bourbon County, Kan., Sheriff’s Department, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Updated April 24, 2023

Research on Light Emission From Black Phosphorus Hints at New Applications

 Berkeley Lab News Release:

A material known for its electronic properties could find a use in night vision, gas sensing, and spectroscopy technologies

MEDIA RELATIONS | (510) 486-5183 | APRIL 27, 2023

Naoki Higashitarumizu and Ali Javey prepare samples for infrared spectroscopy at UC Berkeley. (Credit: Thor Swift/Berkeley Lab)

Energy efficient LEDs (light emitting diodes) have begun to replace many types of lighting both indoor and outdoor. A key reason for the rise of LEDs has been materials research that greatly improved the quality and intensity of light achievable with these devices. But those materials must be handled with very high levels of precision, including surfaces that are as defect-free as possible.   “They're more efficient and last longer,” said Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) Senior Faculty Scientist Ali Javey, of the materials that comprise today’s LED devices, “but to get good efficiencies, you really have to treat the [material] surfaces to perfection - you have to watch and control the surface chemistry and even then, you still have some light losses.” Javey is also a professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. Javey and his team said their recent research on black phosphorus (BP) – a material of interest for its electronic properties – reveals a tantalizing capability for light emission at the BP surface.  It turns out that extremely thin layers of BP can be stimulated to emit useful quantities of light in specific wavelengths. What’s more, it will do so without regard to the surface. In fact, they can even let BP oxidize (think rust) and it will still emit light in the mid infrared (IR) without any loss of efficiency.  “We don't do anything special to the surface. We don't do any special chemistry. We don't put down any special protection layers,” he said. The Javey team published their findings in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.  The work is both a fundamental discovery about the properties of BP, and it suggests exciting prospects for applications. “Black phosphorus is really good for midwave IR light emission and detection,” Javey said. “Our group and others have shown very bright midwave IR LEDs before. Mid-IR LEDs using conventional semiconductors are not very efficient due to fundamental materials properties. BP has an inherent advantage in that wavelength range.” The mid-IR range is of interest for applications in night vision, sensing, spectroscopy, and more, Javey continued. “Our findings emphasize the unique material characteristics of layered materials for novel optoelectronic applications such as light-emitting devices and photodetectors.”  Getting Light from Thin Black Phosphorus The Javey lab has been investigating the “magical properties” of BP for some time. In 2022, they reported that, under mechanical strain, BP can be induced to emit or detect infrared (IR) light dynamically in a range of desirable wavelengths – 2.3 to 5.5 micrometers, which spans the short- to mid-wave infrared – and to do so reversibly at room temperature. “In this new paper, we look at how the light emission mechanism changes when we change the thickness of BP,” said co-author Shiekh Uddin. In thick units of BP, electrons and holes – that is, negatively and positively charged particles – can generate light when they collide with each other.” Thinned below a few nanometers, however, the electrons and holes at the BP surface are so confined that they combine like magnets drawn together in a pocket. This excited state, called exciton, emits the light more efficiently than isolated electrons and holes.  “Importantly, we find the surface is less detrimental to the luminescence efficiency owing to the inherent crystal structure of BP,” said co-author Naoki Higashitarumizu. It turns out that BP has an unusually low surface recombination velocity. That is a measure of how quickly carriers — electrons or holes — are lost on the material’s surface without generating light.  In fact, the surface recombination velocity of BP is two orders of magnitude lower than for other materials, Uddin said. This is true even when the surface has been oxidized or damaged due to environmental exposure. As a result, we can achieve bright-light emission even when BP is made very thin.  Moving forward, Javey said, “We believe the low surface recombination is not limited to BP but should also be applicable to other layered materials with similar crystal structures.” Berkeley Lab Faculty Scientist Eran Rabani, who is a UC Berkeley professor of chemistry; along with graduate research assistants Daniel Weinberg, I. K. M. Reaz Rahman, and Vivian Wang, also contributed to the work. Other coauthors include researchers from the University of Melbourne, Australia. The research was supported by the Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

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Dallas, Houston and Austin Among EPA’s 2023 Top 20 Cities for ENERGY STAR Certified Buildings

 US EPA News Release:

Dallas, Houston and Austin Among EPA’s 2023 Top 20 Cities for ENERGY STAR Certified Buildings

DALLAS, TEXAS (April 26, 2023) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing its annual “Top Cities” list, spotlighting the cities with the greatest number of ENERGY STAR certified commercial and multifamily buildings in 2022. Coming in at first place for the fourth year in a row, Los Angeles leads with nearly 750 ENERGY STAR certified buildings. In second place is Washington, D.C. with 555 buildings, followed by Atlanta in third place with 376 buildings.

“In many cities, a majority of greenhouse gas emissions results from the energy used by buildings,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “I applaud this year’s top cities, as well as the owners and managers of each ENERGY STAR certified building in them, for taking real action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help America address the climate crisis.”

Commercial buildings are responsible for 16% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions and spend more than $190 billion per year on energy. In many cities, buildings are the largest contributor of emissions — responsible for 30% to more than 70% of a city’s total emissions. ENERGY STAR certified buildings use an average of 35% less energy and are responsible for 35% less carbon dioxide emissions than typical buildings.

First released in 2009, EPA’s list of cities with the most ENERGY STAR certified buildings shows how buildings across America are embracing energy efficiency as a simple and effective way to save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To create the annual list, EPA tallies the number of ENERGY STAR certified buildings within each metropolitan area, as defined by the U.S. Census, which includes the city itself as well as surrounding suburbs. EPA creates separate rankings for mid-sized and small cities. This year’s list includes buildings that earned EPA’s ENERGY STAR during the year 2022. This year’s Top Cities are:

Top 25 Cities Overall
Rank	Metro Area	Building Count	Last Year’s Rank

 

1

Los Angeles

748

1

 

2	Washington DC	555	2
3	Atlanta	376	3
4	San Francisco	343	4
5	New York	256	6
6	Riverside	230	18
6	Denver	230	8
8	Dallas	221	5
8	Chicago	221	7
10	Boston	205	10
11	Houston	195	9
12	Tampa	184	15
13	Seattle	180	13
14	San Diego	170	11
15	Austin	168	12

 

16	Minneapolis	156	14
17	Phoenix	131	16
18	San Jose	110	16
19	Charlotte	105	19
20	Miami	94	20
21	Sacramento	88	23
22	Philadelphia	76	22
23	Orlando	64	24
24	Portland	63	n/a
25	Raleigh	59	n/a
25	Cincinnati	59	25

 

Top 10 Mid-Sized Cities
Rank	Metro Area	Building Count	Last Year’s Rank

 

1	Raleigh, N.C.	59	3
2	Des Moines, Iowa	49	9
3	Provo, Utah	47	2
4	Grand Rapids, Mich.	37	n/a
5	Bakersfield, Calif.	35	n/a
5	Salt Lake City, Utah	35	8
5	Louisville, Ky.	35	4
8	Boulder, Colo.	31	6
8	Milwaukee, Wis.	31	n/a
10	Visalia, Calif.	27	n/a

 

Top 10 Small Cities

 

Rank	Metro Area	Building Count	Last Year’s Rank
1	Jackson, Mich.	41	1
2	Sioux City, Iowa	16	3
3	Punta Gorda, Fla.	13	n/a
4	Dubuque, Iowa	12	n/a
5	Saginaw, Mich	11	7
5	Carson City, Nev.	11	4
7	Elizabethtown, Ky.	10	4
7	Midland, Mich.	10	n/a
9	Owensboro, Ky.	9	n/a
10	Richmond-Berea, Ky	8	n/a

Across the country, more than 7,000 commercial buildings earned the EPA’s ENERGY STAR last year. As of the end of 2022, nearly 41,000 buildings across America have earned ENERGY STAR certification. Together, these buildings have saved $5.4 billion on energy bills and prevented more than 22 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions — equal to the annual emissions of more than 2.7 million homes. 

To earn the ENERGY STAR, a commercial building must achieve an ENERGY STAR score of 75 or higher on EPA’s 1 – 100 scale, indicating that it is more energy efficient than 75% of similar buildings nationwide. A building’s ENERGY STAR score is calculated based on a number of factors, including energy use, hours of operation, and a variety of other operating characteristics.

• More on ENERGY STAR Top Cities, including this year’s ranking of top small and mid-sized cities, as well as last year’s rankings.
• Search for ENERGY STAR certified buildings.
• More about earning the ENERGY STAR certification for commercial buildings.
• More about EPA’s ENERGY STAR program.

About ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR^® is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions. Thousands of industrial, commercial, utility, state, and local organizations — including nearly 40% of the Fortune 500® — rely on their partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to deliver cost-saving energy efficiency solutions. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped American families and businesses avoid more than $500 billion in energy costs and achieve 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions. 

Connect with the Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 on Facebook, Twitter, or visit our homepage.