While the economy grows, Uncle Sam's carbon diet continues in 2012, according to the EIA.
EIA projects that US carbon emissions from energy related sources (about 85% of total) will fall another 1.9% in 2012, after falling also 1.9% in 2011. www.eia.gov/forecasts/steo/. Each of those annual declines amount to more than 100 million tons.
If the EIA 2012 forecast is close to the mark, US carbon emissions will be back to 1996 levels or lower.
What's driving lower emissions? Gas displacing coal in power generation, with natural gas providing 29% of electricity and coal's market share falling to 38% in 2012, is a major source of the decline, according to EIA. Fuel efficiency driving down carbon emissions from transportation is also playing a significant role.
What is not causing lower carbon emissions in 2011 and 2012 is a declining GDP. The economy has added jobs for 24 straight months and about 3 million since February 2010.