COBRA User
Fact Sheet
E PA EnvtaraM Protection
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Energy and Environment Program
*MCOBRA
Co-Benefits Risk Assessment
Health Impacts Screening and Mapping Tool
Sources of Data for COBRA Inputs
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) CO-Benefits Risk
Assessment Health Impacts Screening and Mapping Tool (COBRA)
estimates and monetizes the health impacts resulting from changes in air
pollution emissions. To conduct analyses in COBRA, a user must enter data
on emissions of primary fine particulate matter (PM2 5), sulfur dioxide (S02),
nitrogen oxides (NOx), ammonia (NH3), and volatile organic compounds
(VOCs).This document includes a sample list of sources for this data,
organized according to common sectors analyzed using COBRA.
Data sources overview: This list identifies sample sources of data and tools
that can be used to develop inputs to conduct analyses in COBRA. While
some users may already have emissions data to analyze with COBRA, other
users may find these data sources helpful in developing those emissions
inputs.
This list is not meant to be comprehensive, but rather it is meant to help users
get started in developing scenarios and calculating emissions changes to use
with COBRA. Note that there may be other sources of data, such as datasets
from state or local agencies, that could be more suited to your analysis. In
addition, inclusion in this list does not necessarily constitute an endorsement
by EPA.
The sources listed here includes both sources of historical data and tools that
can be used to estimate or project emissions, such as EPA's AVoided Emissions
and geneRation Tool (AVERT), which estimates the emissions impacts of
renewable energy and energy efficiency. The list of historical data sources
includes information on both emissions (e.g., tons of PM25) and activity data
(e.g., fuel consumption estimates). Emissions data can be entered directly
into COBRA. Activity data can be used to estimate emissions by applying
emissions factors. The EPA reference document AP-42 Compilation of Air
Emissions Factors and the 2017 National Emissions Inventory Technical
Support Document are comprehensive sources of air emissions factors from
multiple sectors and emissions sources for the U.S.1,2
The illustrative example below shows how it is possible to use fuel
consumption data to estimate the change in PM25 emissions from a
hypothetical 10 percent decrease in industrial natural gas use in Pennsylvania
in 2019.
Illustrative example of using activity data to derive emissions
estimates to enter into COBRA: According to the U.S. Energy Information
Administration (EIA), Pennsylvania's industrial natural gas consumption was
249,026 million cubic feet (MMcf) in 2019.Therefore, a 10 percent reduction
would be equal to a change of approximately 24,900 MMcf. To estimate the
change in emissions, you can multiply the natural gas consumption value by
a sector- and pollutant-specific emissions factor. For example, the emissions
factor for industrial PM25 is 0.43 pounds of PM25 per MMcf of natural gas
consumed.3 The calculation is as follows:
24,900 MMcf x 0.43 lbs. PM25 per MMcf-h 2000 lbs. per ton = 5.35 tons PM25
You can then enter a reduction of 5.35 tons in COBRA to estimate the health
impacts of those reductions.
March 2021 -430F21007
www.epa.gov/cobra

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All Sectors
U.S. EPA
National Emissions Inventory. County-level data on
emissions for all sectors included in COBRA, as well as
facility-level emissions data for larger sources.
https://www.epa.gov/air-emissions-inventories/
national-emissions-inventory-nei
Fuel Combustion: Electric Utilities
U.S. EPA

AVoided Emissions and generation Tool (AVERT).
Tool that estimates the change in county-level
emissions from energy efficiency or renewable energy.
https://www.epa.gov/avert
Emissions and Generation Integrated Database
(eGRID). Power-plant level and state-level data on
emissions, emissions rates, and fuel consumption.
https://www.epa.gov/egrid
Power Sector Emissions Data. Power-plant level data
on emissions and generation. ittps://www.epa.gov/
airmarkets/power-sector-emissions-data
U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
Detailed State Data. State-level data on electricity
generation,fuel consumption, nameplate capacity,and
retail sales of electricity.
https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/state/
Form 861. Annual electric power industry report, with
hBy utility-level data on energy efficiency.
https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia861/
Form 923. Power plant-specific data on electricity
generation and fuel consumption.
https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia923/

Emissions Data
IA
Activity Data
EH
Tool or Model
Fuel Combustion: Industrial, Commercial,
and Residential
Waste Disposal and Recycling
U.S. EIA
Adjusted Distillate Fuel Oil and Kerosene Sales by
End Use. State-level data on annual sales of distillate
and residual fuel oil and kerosene. The drop down
menu allows users to filter by state.
https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_cons_821 usea_
dcu_nus_a.htm
Annual Coal Report,Table 26. Coal consumption data
by end use sector, census division, and state.
https://www.eia.gov/coal/annual/pdf/table26.pdf
Natural Gas Consumption by End Use. State-level
data on natural gas consumption by end use sector.
https://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/ng_cons_sum_a_EPGO_
vin mmcf a.htm
Highway Vehicles and Off Highway Emissions
Petroleum and Related Industries
U.S. EIA
Crude Oil Production. State-and Petroleum
Administration for Defense District (PADD)-level data
on crude oil production.
https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_crd_crpdn_adc_
mbbl_m.htm
Natural Gas Gross Withdrawals and Production.
State-level data on natural gas production.
https://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/ng_prod_sum_a_EPGO_
FGW mmcf m.htm
Other Industrial Processes
U.S. EIA
6
Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey, Table
1.1. Census region-level data on fuel consumption by
NAICS Code.
https://www.eia.gov/consumption/manufacturing/
data/2014/pdf/ta ble 1 _1 .pdf
U.S. EPA
Landfill Methane Outreach Program Database.
State-level data on waste in place and landfill gas
collection systems.
https://www.epa.gov/lmop/project-and-landfill-data-
state
Energy Recovery Council
2018 Directory of Waste-to-Energy Facilities.
State-level data on waste-to-energy capacity.
http://energyrecoverycouncil.org/wp-content/
uploads/2019/10/ERC-2018-directory.pdf
U.S. EPA
Motor Vehicle Emissions Simulator (MOVES). Model
that estimates county-level mobile source emissions by
vehicle type.
https://www.epa.gov/moves
U.S. EIA
Adjusted Distillate Fuel Oil and Kerosene Sales by
End Use. State-level data on annual sales of distillate
and residual fuel oil and kerosene.The drop down
menu allows users to filter by state.
https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_cons_821 usea_
dcu nus a.htm
U.S. DOE
Alternative Fuels Data Center. State-level data on
transportation fuel consumption.The drop down menu
allows users to filter by state.
https://afdc.energy.gov/
Argonne National Laboratory
Greenhouse gases. Regulated Emissions and Energy
use in Technologies model (GREET). Model that
estimates the energy use and emissions from different
vehicle and fuel combinations.
https://greet.es.anl.gov/index.php
Federal Highway Administration
Highway Statistics. State-level data on motor vehicle
use, vehicle miles travel, vehicle registrations, and
motor fuel consumption.
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm

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'U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. AP-42: Compilation of Air Emissions Factors.
https://www.epa.gov/air-emissions-factors-and-auantification/ap-42-compilation-air-emissions-factors
2U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2017 National Emissions Inventory Technical Support Document, https://www.epa.gov/air-emissions-inventories/2017-national-emissions-inventorv-nei-
technical-support-document-tsd
3Note that you must convert from pounds to short tons before entering emissions inputs into COBRA.

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