According to the EPA, over 8,000 facilities reported emitting 2.69 billion metric tons of CO2 in 2022. A majority of these facilities are power plants, using some form of natural resource to generate power. Other types of facilities include landfills, gas utilities, cement factories, and assembly plants. The Bi-State Reinvestment Corridor has seven such facilities, mostly on the Missouri side, while the larger MARC Area has about three times as many.

Figure 1. Greenhouse Gas Emitting Facilities in Bi-State Reinvestment Corridor in 2022

Source: GIS and EPA GHGRP

The program used to track emissions is called the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP), which the EPA started doing after direction from congress. The program aims to provide a base of information about who’s emitting what, and how much. Through this data, we can find waste and opportunities to prevent emissions.

Knowing of these facilities gives us a chance to comprehend the direct links between us as a city and the global effects of climate change. Being reminded of our link to climate change forces us to keep green-solutions at the front of our minds when strategizing development in the corridor. Additionally, knowing the negative effects of having high emission facilities in population centered area ensures that we will use this project as an opportunity to limit or eliminate those effects.

Overall, the Bi-State Reinvestment project is an opportunity to realign Kansas City with climate-resilient and net-zero goals.