Companies Pumping the Most Greenhouse Gas Into the Atmosphere

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50. Archer Daniels Midland
> 2019 CO2 equivalent emissions: 12,388,843 metric tons
> Environmental justice, poor population share: 14% – #56 highest out of 100 corporations
> Environmental justice, minority population share: 20% – #85 highest
> Pct. of CO2 equivalent emissions from single facility: 36% – #41 highest
> Industrial sectors: Other, pulp and paper, waste

The Chicago-based agribusiness company has been fined almost $364 million in penalties related to environmental regulations violations since 2000. In 2003, the company agreed to spend $340 million to slash emissions, pay a $4.6 million civil penalty, and spend $6.3 million on environmental projects. To put these figures in perspective, the company reported $85.25 billion in revenue and 2.71 billion in revenue in 2021.

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

49. OGE Energy
> 2019 CO2 equivalent emissions: 12,417,783 metric tons
> Environmental justice, poor population share: 15% – #39 highest out of 100 corporations
> Environmental justice, minority population share: 39% – #59 highest
> Pct. of CO2 equivalent emissions from single facility: 32% – #49 highest
> Industrial sectors: Power plants, other

OGE Energy, a utilities and power generation company in Oklahoma City, has been fined more than $458,000 for environment-related offenses since 2000. It reported revenue of $3.7 billion in 2021.

Source: Larry D. Moore / Wikimedia Commons

48. Lower Colorado River Authority
> 2019 CO2 equivalent emissions: 12,483,976 metric tons
> Environmental justice, poor population share: 12% – #77 highest out of 100 corporations
> Environmental justice, minority population share: 33% – #69 highest
> Pct. of CO2 equivalent emissions from single facility: 83% – #13 highest
> Industrial sectors: Power plants, other

The Lower Colorado River Authority posted the 13th-highest percentage of CO2 equivalent emissions from a single facility — nearly 83% — at the Sam Seymour plant in La Grange, Texas.

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47. LafargeHolcim
> 2019 CO2 equivalent emissions: 12,567,194 metric tons
> Environmental justice, poor population share: 11% – #86 highest out of 100 corporations
> Environmental justice, minority population share: 43% – #51 highest
> Pct. of CO2 equivalent emissions from single facility: 23% – #70 highest
> Industrial sectors: Minerals

In May 2021, Zug, Switzerland-based minerals company LafargeHolcim agreed to pay $850,000 to resolve alleged environmental violations at its Ravena cement plant in New York.

Source: Courtesy of Air Products

46. Air Products & Chemicals
> 2019 CO2 equivalent emissions: 12,683,848 metric tons
> Environmental justice, poor population share: 16% – #31 highest out of 100 corporations
> Environmental justice, minority population share: 69% – #10 highest
> Pct. of CO2 equivalent emissions from single facility: 20% – #80 highest
> Industrial sectors: Chemicals, power plants

Since 2000, Allentown, Pennsylvania-based Air Products & Chemicals has paid about $2.5 million in environment-related violations. Its Port Arthur, Texas, plant is responsible for almost 20% of emissions from its 22 facilities.