Coal-fired power plants that generate electricity and provide hundreds of jobs in New Mexico also produce the most greenhouse-gas emissions in the state, according to reports from the utilities to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Emissions levels of the three gases most linked to climate change — carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide — are available by state and industry on an interactive public website launched Wednesday by the EPA. Data on the website are provided by companies that produce more than 25,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases a year. The database also allows searches by certain chemicals, metals and minerals.

The 16 power plants reporting from New Mexico emitted a combined total of 30 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxides. The data are based on 2010 emissions reported to the EPA as of Dec. 16.

The highest producer of greenhouse-gas emissions in the state in 2010 was the Four Corners Power Plant, which released more than 13 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane. Operated by Arizona Public Service Co. on Navajo Nation land in northwestern New Mexico, the plant produces power for about 300,000 customers in New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and California. The company in 2010 announced plans to close three of the plant's five units.

The second highest emitter was the coal-fired San Juan Generating Station, which provides much of the power for Public Service Co. of New Mexico customers, including those in Santa Fe.

PNM is among companies challenging both the EPA and the state over new rules to reduce emissions.

EPA is seeking a substantial reduction in nitrous-oxide emissions to reduce haze and air pollution in the region. PNM disagrees with the type of technology the federal agency is requiring the plant to use in the reduction and is fighting the issue in federal court. "The ongoing issue with EPA is that it is requiring a technology that is significantly more expensive than what the state is requiring to meet same requirement," said PNM spokesman Don Brown.

Reducing carbon-dioxide emissions is another challenge, Brown said. "There is still no commercially available technology. ... Every utility that owns fossil-fuel generating stations is in the same boat," he said.

Tests are under way on methods of reducing emissions, such as using ammonia to remove carbon dioxide before it comes out of a power company's flue, but nothing is ready yet for use at a utility the size of Four Corners.

PNM is challenging two state rules that would reduce or cap carbon-dioxide emissions.

The next highest producers of greenhouse-gas emissions are the state's 44 facilities associated with natural gas processing and compression. The San Juan Gas Plant in Bloomfield emitted the most each year, at 233,131 metric tons.

Of the state's three oil refineries, the largest greenhouse-gas emitter is Navajo Refining in Artesia, which emitted 766 thousand metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2010.

At the state's nine landfills, methane is the most-emitted greenhouse gas. Santa Fe's Caja del Rio Landfill reported 34,000 metric tons of greenhouse-gas emissions in 2010 compared with 146,000 metric tons emitted by Albuquerque's Cerro Colorado landfill. The Santa Fe landfill has a gas-collection system, but it can only collect up to 917 metric tons.

Contact Staci Matlock at 986-3055 or smatlock@sfnewmexican.com.

ON THE WEB

Access EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program at http://epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ghgdata/

GREENHOUSE-GAS EMISSIONS FOR 2010

Four Corners Electric Plant, coal-fired

Carbon dioxide: 13,063,045 metric tons

Methane: 32,430 metric tons

Nitrous oxide: 69,633 metric tons

San Juan Generating Station, coal-fired

Carbon dioxide: 10,651,738 metric tons

Methane: 25,198 metric tons

Nitrous oxide: 54,130 metric tons