A. Executive Summary
2021 Community-wide GHG emissions
Total community wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for Washoe County in 2021 were 6.30 million metric tons (MMT) carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e). 37% of emissions come from Transportation, 22% from Commercial Energy, 19% from Residential Energy, 15% from Industrial Energy, 2% from Solid Waste, 3% from Process & Fugitive Emissions, 2% from Water & Wastewater, and less than 1% from Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU). This inventory includes emissions for City of Reno, City of Sparks, and Unincorporated Washoe County. It was calculated using ICLEI’s Clearpath software, and it uses 100-year global warming potentials (GWPs) from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s 6th Assessment Report (AR).
2021 Washoe County Community Emissions (MMT CO2e)
| 2021 Washoe County Community Emissions | ||
| Sector | MMT CO2e | % CO2e |
| Transportation & Mobile Sources | 2.32 | 37% |
| Commercial Energy | 1.41 | 22% |
| Residential Energy | 1.22 | 19% |
| Industrial Energy | 0.93 | 15% |
| Solid Waste | 0.13 | 2% |
| Process & Fugitive Emissions | 0.19 | 3% |
| Water & Wastewater | 0.09 | 2% |
| Total | 6.30 | 100% |
From 2014 to 2021, Washoe County Community-wide emissions increased 40%, from 4.52 MMT of CO2e to 6.30 MMT of CO2e. About half of this 1.79 MMT CO2e increase comes from direct emissions growth (0.80 MMT CO2e), and the rest comes from improvements in methodology (0.99 MMT CO2e). These methodology improvements include the addition of nonroad transportation (~0.50 MMT CO2e), the addition of “point source” stationary fuels such as distillate fuel oil to Industrial Energy (0.30 MMT CO2e), and the addition of Fugitive Emissions (0.19 MMT CO2e). When the key methodology differences between the 2014 and 2021 inventories are removed, the “direct growth” comparison between the two inventories is an 18% increase, from 4.52 MMT CO2e to 5.31 MMT CO2e. This growth in “apples to apples” emissions is 11% lower than GDP growth over the same time period.
|
Washoe County Population, GDP, and Emissions Comparison: 2014 to 2021 |
|||
|
Category |
2014 |
2021 |
% change |
|
Population |
436,797 |
485,113 |
11% |
|
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in thousands chained (2017 dollars) |
$ 23,682,755 |
$30,542,848 |
29% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
GHG Emissions (MMT) |
4.52 |
6.38 |
41% |
|
Per Capita GHG |
10.35 |
13.00 |
25% |
Sources: population: NV State Demographer, GDP: US Bureau of Economic Analysis
Per capita emissions
Per capita emissions increased 25% from 2014 (10.35 MT CO2e) to 2021 (13.00 MT CO2e). After removing emissions related to improved inventory methodology, the increase is ~7%, from 10.35 to 10.95 MT CO2e. This 5.8% increase corresponds with the 11% population increase over the same time frame. Even with the methodology adjustment, however, the increase in per capita emissions indicates that increased community-wide emissions between 2014 to 2021 are not just a result of population growth, but also of increased per capita GHG emissions. Washoe County’s per capita emissions of 13.00 MT CO2e in 2021 were lower than the national average of 14.25 MT CO2e per capita emissions, though higher than other Mountain West cities like Eugene, OR (5.37 MT CO2e), Unincorporated Sacramento County, CA (7.57 MT CO2e), Boise, ID (9.69 MT CO2e), or Clark County, NV (12.90 MT CO2e), where Las Vegas is located. Different jurisdictions may use different inventory tools and methodologies, so these numbers are directionally informative, but they are not exact comparisons.
|
Per capita annual MT CO2e in the Mountain West |
||
|
Jurisdiction |
MT CO2e |
Population |
|
Eugene, OR |
5.37 |
176,000 |
|
Unincorporated Sacramento County, CA |
7.57 |
555,000 |
|
Boise, ID |
9.69 |
232,000 |
|
Clark County, NV (incl. Las Vegas) |
12.90 |
2,270,000 |
|
Washoe County, NV |
13.00 |
485,000 |
|
US average |
14.25 |
|
Comparison between 2014 and 2021 inventories
The chart below shows differences by sector that caused Washoe County’s Community-wide emissions to increase 40% from 4.52 MMT CO2e in 2014 to 6.30 MMT CO2e in 2021.
|
Comparison of emissions (MMT CO2e), 2014 to 2021 |
|||
|
Sector |
2014 |
2021 |
Change |
|
Transportation |
1.46 |
2.32 |
0.87 |
|
Commercial energy |
1.28 |
1.41 |
0.14 |
|
Residential energy |
1.28 |
1.22 |
(0.06) |
|
Industrial energy |
0.25 |
0.93 |
0.68 |
|
Solid Waste |
0.20 |
0.13 |
(0.07) |
|
Water & Wastewater |
0.03 |
0.09 |
0.06 |
|
Process & Fugitive |
0.00 |
0.19 |
0.19 |
|
Agriculture |
0.03 |
0.00 |
(0.03) |
|
TOTAL |
4.52 |
6.30 |
1.79 |
Almost half of the increased emissions in Washoe County came from the Transportation sector, which had 37% more emissions in 2021 than 2014 (+0.87 MMT CO2e). Most of this difference (+0.50 MMT CO2e) is because Nonroad transportation is included in the 2021 inventory but was not calculated in 2014. On-road diesel emissions more than tripled, and emissions from aviation doubled. Some of the differences in on-road numbers could be a result of different data sources for vehicle miles traveled (VMT) data in the 2014 inventory (RTC Washoe) versus the 2021 inventory (Google Environmental Insights Explorer).
Total Energy emissions also increased between 2014 and 2021, by 27%. Energy consumption nearly doubled between the two inventories; however, the electricity grid also became cleaner with the addition of more renewable sources. A Sustainability Report is not available for 2014, but NV Energy’s 2017 report shows an “emissions intensity” of 930 pounds per megawatt hour (lbs / MWh). This had decreased to 729 lbs / MWh by 2021. Emissions in both the Commercial and Industrial Energy sectors were higher in 2021 than 2014. For Industrial Energy in particular, this was a result of including emissions from stationary energy sources such as distillate fuel oil that were not included in the 2014 Inventory. Residential Energy emissions were 6% lower in 2021 than 2014, perhaps because the efficiency of the grid outpaced the increased electricity demand that came with 12% growth in new housing, or because individual household behaviors (eg increased use of smart thermostats, turning off lights, etc) changed over this time.
Solid waste emissions were similar in 2014 and 2021. Landfilled waste in Washoe County shrank almost 50% between inventories, from 571,663 tons in 2014 to 300,775 tons in 2021. This change in landfilled tonnage may be attributable to evolving data calculation methods and / or improved recycling rates. The 2014 inventory reported a recycling rate of 37.5%, while rates as of 2024 were as high as 97% for single family. The recycling rate for multi-family homes was 54.5% and for commercial accounts was 9.5%.
Water and wastewaster emissions tripled between the 2014 and 2021 inventory, though the overall amount of emissions is very low. Some of the additional emissions come from the inclusion of providers that were not included in the 2014 inventory, including the Incline Village General Improvement District (GID), Great Basin Water Company, Sun Valley GID, and Gerlach GID. The Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) is included in both inventories and still provides >92% of the water to the community in Washoe County. TMWA’s reported population-served of 444,182 in 2021 was almost exactly the same as the population served in 2014, with only a 5% increase in millions of gallons delivered (27.9 in 2021). Likewise, wastewater volume only increased 6% between 2014 to 2021, to 13 million gallons of water processed. Neither of these services scaled proportionally to the 11% population growth during this time.
The 2021 inventory measures Process & Fugitive Emissions, which were not included in the 2014 report. Washoe County has fugitive emissions from the distribution of natural gas as well as uses such as electric power systems, fire extinguishing, refrigeration, aerosols, foams and solvents. These cause only a small percentage (3%) of overall emissions.
And finally, emissions from Agriculture remained very small in 2021 (<1% of total). Agricultural emissions appear to have decreased in 2021, but they are likely similar to 2014, as the “optional” category of livestock is not included in the 2021 inventory, despite its inclusion in 2014. The Agriculture section of this inventory includes only electricity used to serve agricultural uses. Sequestration, or carbon removals, are calculated as part of this inventory (see section E8, AFOLU), but they are not added to gross emissions for a “net” emissions number.
A detailed table with GHG sources and CO2e emissions by sector for 2021 is below. A full comparison of 2021 data with 2014 data is in Appendix 4.
Table of 2021 Washoe County Community GHG Sources and Emissions
|
2021 emissions by Fuel or Source |
|||||
|
Org providing data |
Type |
Fuel or Source |
2021 Usage |
Usage Unit |
2021 Emissions (Mt CO2e) |
|
Transportation |
|||||
|
Google EIE |
On Road |
Gasoline |
2,677,846,997 |
VMT |
1,034,447 |
|
Google EIE |
On Road |
Diesel |
347,968,818 |
VMT |
499,772 |
|
EPA NEI |
Nonroad |
Diesel |
- |
- |
387,405 |
|
EPA NEI |
Nonroad |
Gasoline |
- |
- |
90,949 |
|
EPA NEI |
Nonroad |
LPG |
- |
- |
15,158 |
|
EPA NEI |
Nonroad |
CNG |
- |
- |
1,796 |
|
RNO Airport |
Gound Ops |
Diesel |
87,846 |
Gallons |
905 |
|
RNO Airport |
Ground Ops |
Gasoline |
70,937 |
Gallons |
628 |
|
Reno-Stead Airport |
Ground Ops |
Diesel |
5,013 |
Gallons |
52 |
|
Reno-Stead Airport |
Ground Ops |
Gasoline |
1,704 |
Gallons |
15 |
|
RNO Airport |
Commercial (Passenger) |
Jet Kerosene |
14,948,972 |
Gallons |
146,246 |
|
RNO Airport |
Freight |
Jet Kerosene |
4,926,489 |
Gallons |
48,196 |
|
RNO Airport |
General Aviation |
Jet Kerosene |
4,074,471 |
Gallons |
39,861 |
|
RNO Airport |
General Aviation |
Aviation Gas |
155,118 |
Gallons |
1,294 |
|
Reno-Stead Airport |
General Aviation |
Jet Kerosene |
488,146 |
Gallons |
4,776 |
|
Reno-Stead Airport |
General Aviation |
Aviation Gas |
99,619 |
Gallons |
831 |
|
RNO Airport |
Air National Guard (ANG) |
Jet Kerosene |
842,075 |
Gallons |
8,238 |
|
EPA NEI |
Rail, Commercial |
Diesel |
- |
- |
23,113 |
|
EPA NEI |
Rail, Passenger |
Diesel |
- |
- |
702 |
|
EPA NEI |
Water, Pleasure Craft |
Gasoline |
- |
- |
14,903 |
|
EPA NEI |
Water, Pleasure Craft |
Diesel |
- |
- |
3,616 |
|
RTC Washoe |
Buses |
Electric |
1,020,784 |
kWh |
338 |
|
RTC Washoe |
Buses |
Bio-diesel |
568,890 |
Gallons |
1 |
|
RTC Washoe |
Regional Connector Bus (Carson City) |
Electric |
250,159 |
kWh |
72 |
|
RTC |
Paratransit and Flexride |
Gasoline |
13,504 |
Gallons |
122 |
|
RTC |
Paratransit and Flexride |
CNG |
179,175 |
Gallons |
118 |
|
Transportation Total |
2,323,551 |
||||
|
2021 emissions by Fuel or Source |
|||||
|
Org providing data |
Type |
Fuel or Source |
2021 Usage |
Usage Unit |
2021 Emissions (Mt CO₂e) |
|
Commercial Energy |
|||||
|
NV Energy |
Commercial |
Electricity |
3,217,822 |
MWh |
1,065,100 |
|
NV Energy |
Municipal |
Electricity |
54,895 |
MWh |
18,175 |
|
SVEC |
Commercial |
Electricity |
65 |
MWh |
19 |
|
PSREC |
Commercial |
Electricity |
57 |
MWh |
16 |
|
NV Energy |
Commercial |
Natural Gas |
51,656,782 |
Therms |
274,827 |
|
SW Gas |
Commercial |
Natural Gas |
1,738,311 |
Therms |
9,246 |
|
EIA |
Commercial |
Fuel Oil |
356,535 |
MMBtu |
26,281 |
|
EIA |
Commercial |
Propane (HGL) |
307,917 |
MMBtu |
19,430 |
|
EIA |
Commercial |
Wood |
64,825 |
MMBtu |
632 |
|
Commercial Energy Total |
1,413,727 |
||||
|
|
|||||
|
Residential Energy |
|||||
|
NV Energy |
Residential |
Electricity |
1,748,938 |
MWh |
578,899 |
|
PSREC |
Residential |
Electricity |
4,882 |
MWh |
1,414 |
|
SVEC |
Residential |
Electricity |
44 |
MWh |
13 |
|
NV Energy |
Residential |
Natural Gas |
106,176,831 |
Therms |
564,683 |
|
SW Gas |
Residential |
Natural Gas |
8,171,381 |
Therms |
43,458 |
|
EIA |
Residential |
Propane (HGL) |
405,268 |
MMBtu |
24,184 |
|
EIA |
Residential |
Fuel oil |
52,861 |
MMBtu |
3,943 |
|
EIA |
Residential |
Wood |
370,027 |
MMBtu |
3,384 |
|
Residential Energy Total |
1,219,978 |
||||
|
|
|||||
|
Industrial |
|
|
|
|
|
|
NV Energy |
Industrial |
Electricity |
1,598,279 |
MWh |
529,031 |
|
NV Energy |
Industrial |
Natural Gas |
19,039,233 |
therms |
101,050 |
|
EIA |
Industrial |
Fuel Oil |
3,511,184 |
MMBtu |
258,056 |
|
EIA |
Industrial |
Propane (HGL) |
161,434 |
MMBtu |
10,152 |
|
EIA |
Industrial |
Motor Gasoline |
464,122 |
MMBtu |
31,131 |
|
EIA |
Industrial |
Wood |
20,179 |
MMBtu |
41 |
|
Industrial Energy Total |
929,460 |
||||
|
2021 emissions by Fuel or Source |
|||||||
|
Org providing data |
Type |
Fuel or Source |
2021 Usage |
Usage Unit |
2021 Emissions (MT CO2e) |
||
|
Solid Waste |
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
WM |
Waste |
Waste Generated |
300,775 |
Tons |
130,466 |
||
|
WM |
Flaring |
Landfill Gas |
261,858,830 |
Cubic ft / yr |
28 |
||
|
WM |
Combustion |
Landfill Gas |
380,450,265 |
Cubic ft / day |
0.53 |
||
|
Solid Waste Total |
130,466 |
||||||
| 2021 emissions by Fuel or Source | |||||
|
Org providing data |
Type | Fuel or Source | 2021 Usage | Usage Unit |
2021 Emissions (Mt CO2e ) |
|
Water & Wastewater (Water) |
|||||
|
TMWA |
Potable Water |
Electricity |
65,183,869 |
kWh |
28,126 |
|
TMWA |
Potable Water |
Natural Gas |
123,170 |
MMBtu |
included in elec. # |
|
IVGID |
Potable Water |
Electricity |
3,932,368 |
kWh |
1,311 |
|
IVGID |
Potable Water |
Natural Gas |
1,761 |
kWh |
included in elec. # |
|
Great Basin Water Co |
Potable Water |
Electricity |
1,346,223 |
kWh |
446 |
|
Sun Valley GID |
Potable Water |
Electricity |
517,390 |
kWh |
205 |
|
Sun Valley GID |
Potable Water |
Natural Gas |
6,271 |
MMBtu |
included in elec. # |
|
Gerlach GID |
Potable Water |
Electricity |
15,712 |
kWh |
15 |
|
Gerlach GID |
Potable Water |
Propane |
1,872 |
therms |
included in elec # |
|
TMWRF |
Energy Use |
Electricity |
25,268,000 |
kWh |
8,483 |
|
TMWRF |
Combustion |
Digester Gas |
385,920 |
scf/day |
19 |
| TMWRF | Flaring | Digester Gas | 184,320 | scf/day | 35,075 |
| TMWRF | Wastewater Treatment | Nitrification / Denitrification | 363,000 | people | 867 |
| TMWRF | Effluent | Nitrification | 216 | Kg N / day | 169 |
| TMWRF | Wastewater Treatment | Methanol | 8.9 | MT CH3OH / day | 3,563 |
| Washoe County | Energy Use | Electricity | 8,754,862 | kWh | 2,898 |
| Washoe County | Wastewater Treatment | Nitrification / Denitrification | 26,717 | people | 64 |
| Washoe County | Effluent | Nitrification | 155 | Kg N / day | 121 |
| Reno Stead WRF | Energy Use | Electricity | 5,071 | kWh | 1,795 |
| Reno Stead WRF | Energy Use | Natural Gas | 22,323 | therms | Included in elec. # |
| Reno Stead WRF | Wastewater Treatment | Nitrification / Denitrification | 28,000 | people | 67 |
| Reno Stead WRF | Effluent | Nitrification | 41 | Kg N / day | 32 |
| IVGID | Energy Use | Electricity | 1,698,637 | kWh | 636 |
| IVGID | Energy Use | Natural Gas | 14,829 | therms | included in elec # |
| Gerlach | Energy Use | None | 125 | people | 0 |
| Septic | Fugitive Emissions | Methane | 0.09 | Kg BOD5/day | 7,672 |
| Water & Wastewater Total | 91,564 | ||||
|
2021 emissions by Fuel or Source |
|||||
|
Org providing data |
Type |
Fuel or Source |
2021 Usage |
Usage Unit |
2021 Emissions (MT CO2e) |
|
Process & Fugitive Emissions |
|||||
|
listed above |
Fugitive |
Natural Gas |
188,150,339 |
therms |
34,741 |
|
EPA |
Fugitive |
Refrigeration |
- |
- |
106,453 |
|
EPA |
Fugitive |
Non-MDI Aerosols |
- |
- |
15,614 |
|
EPA |
Fugitive |
Electric Power Systems |
- |
- |
14,150 |
|
EPA |
Fugitive |
Foams |
- |
- |
13,455 |
|
EPA |
Fugitive |
Solvents |
- |
- |
3,027 |
|
EPA |
Fugitive |
MDI Aerosols |
- |
- |
2,455 |
|
EPA |
Fugitive |
Fire Extinguishing |
- |
- |
3,776 |
|
Process & Fugitive Emissions Total |
193,669 |
||||
|
|
|||||
|
Agricultural |
|||||
|
NV Energy |
Energy Use |
Electric |
7,368,753 |
kWh |
2,439 |
|
PSREC |
Energy Use |
Electric |
96,139 |
kWh |
28 |
|
Agricultural Total |
2,467 |
||||
|
|
|||||
|
TOTAL GROSS EMISSIONS |
6,304,911 |
||||
|
2021 emissions by Fuel or Source |
|||||
|
Org providing data |
Type |
Fuel or Source |
2021 Usage |
Usage Unit |
2021 Emissions (Mt CO2e) |
|
Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use |
|||||
|
ICLEI |
Trees outside of Forests |
Emissions |
9 |
hectares |
523 |
|
ICLEI |
Trees outside of Forests |
Removals |
4,433 |
hectares |
-43,360 |
|
ICLEI |
Undisturbed Forests |
Removals |
36,255 |
hectares |
-31,046 |
|
ICLEI |
Non-Forest to Forest |
Removals |
2,469 |
hectares |
-2,913 |
|
ICLEI |
Forest Disturbances |
Emissions |
7,019 |
hectares |
10,570 |
|
ICLEI |
Forest to Grassland |
Emissions |
605 |
hectares |
15,352 |
|
ICLEI |
Forest to Other |
Emissions |
6 |
hectares |
1,245 |
|
ICLEI |
Forest to Wetland |
Emissions |
798 |
hectares |
1,112 |
|
ICLEI |
Forest to Settlement |
Emissions |
60 |
hectares |
701 |
|
ICLEI |
Forest to Cropland |
Emissions |
0.1 |
hectares |
0 |
|
Forests & Trees Total |
-47,816 |
||||
|
|
|||||
|
TOTAL EMISSIONS, WITH SEQUESTRATION |
6,257,095 |
||||