Reported emissions from the Miscellaneous Combustion sector^* decreased from 89 million metric tons (MMT) CO₂e in 2011 to 80 MMT CO₂e in 2020, an overall decrease of 10 percent. The decline in reported emissions is due primarily to a shift from burning coal to natural gas. Total reported emissions have varied slightly up and down over the time series, with a maximum of 91 MMT CO₂e in 2014 and a minimum of 80 MMT CO₂e in 2020. The lower emissions reported in 2020 are likely a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as it reduced economic activity and caused changes in energy demand and supply across all energy and use sectors [1]. The number of reporters in 2020 was 1,107, which is a slight increase from 2011 (1,085 reporters) and a decrease from 2019 (1,116 reporters). Emissions from all subsectors decreased in 2020. The largest decreases in emissions were in manufacturing (1.5 MMTCO2e or 10 percent), ethanol production (1.8 MMTCO2e or 9 percent), and food processing (0.8 MMTCO2e or 3 percent).

^* The sector includes a broad range of miscellaneous industrial and institutional sources, including the following FLIGHT sectors (food processing, ethanol production, universities, manufacturing, military, and other). 

[1]       U.S. Department of Energy, Today in Energy, EIA Expects U.S. Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions to Fall 11% in 2020, December 9, 2020. Available at: https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=46196