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===Air pollution===Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have identified American Electric as the 35th-largest corporate producer of air pollution in the United States, with roughly 88 million pounds of toxic chemicals released annually into the air.<ref>Political Economy Research Institute, [http://www.peri.umass.edu/Toxic-100-Table.265.0.html "THE TOXIC 100: Top Corporate Air Polluters in the United States"], April 23, 2008.</ref> Major pollutants indicated by the study include sulfuric acid, chromium and nickel compounds, hydrochloric acid, and manganese compounds.<ref>[http://www.rtknet.org/new/tox100/toxic100.php?company1=1233&chemfac=chem&advbasic=bas "American Electric Power"], Toxics Release Inventory, RTK Net, 2002. RTK Net is a project of [[OMB Watch]].</ref> Overall, electric power plants, such as those operated by AEP, account for almost "70 percent of sulfur dioxide emissions each year and 30 percent of nitrogen oxides emissions." Individually, these pollutants cause serious respiratory damage and other illnesses; when combined, they create what's known as acid rain, which causes long term damage to the environment and deterioration of natural and man-made structures.<ref>U.S. Department of Justice, [http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2000/March/090enrd.htm "U.S. Expands Clean Air Act Lawsuits Against Electric Utilities"], Media Release, March 1, 2000.</ref> [[U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]] has named American Electric a potentially responsible party at the Green River Disposal Inc. [[Superfund]] toxic waste site.<ref>[http://www.publicintegrity.org/Superfund/SiteResults.aspx?act=american%20electric%20power EPA database courtesy Center for Public Integrity]</ref> ===Greenhouse gas emissions===In January 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency unveiled a [http://ghgdata.epa.gov/ghgp/main.do new website] that identifies most of the nation's biggest emitters of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases. Three of the twentieth largest [[greenhouse gas]] emitters belong to American Electric Power: [[Rockport Plant]], [[Gavin Power Plant]], and the [[Amos Plant]].<ref>David Ibata , [http://www.ajc.com/news/study-southern-company-plants-1299806.html "Study: Southern Company plants are 3 biggest greenhouse gas emitters"] Atlanta Journal-Constitution, January 11, 2012.</ref>