A new interactive map from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will pinpoint sites that the EPA says are the biggest culprits in contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, including Maxim Power Corp's natural gas-fired power plant in Forked River.

Considered a key factor in global warming, greenhouse gases are the byproduct of a number of industrial reactions. The mapping tool allows users to search by type of facility as well as by state, though it doesn't take into account some widespread sources of greenhouses gases, such as vehicle transportation.

In Ocean County, five sites caught the EPA's attention, with the most greenhouse gases originating from the Ocean County Landfill in Manchester. Like other landfills, it constantly gives off a mix of carbon dioxide and methane, which, according to the EPA, is over 20 times more effective in trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.

Maxim Power Corp. is fourth on the list for Ocean County, which emitted 10,028 MT parts of carbon dioxide. The company owns a 86 megawatt natural gas-fired power plant on Route 9 in Lacey using a GE gas turbine generator.

According to the EPA, Ocean County's landfill emissions are the third highest in the state out of the 20 counties included in the mapped data, after Bergen and Middlesex. Overall, however, Ocean ranks low on the list of counties for total emissions.

The interactive map collates data about six pollutants: carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, PFC-14, PFC-116, HFC-23 and methane, measured in metric tons (MT). For reference, according to the EPA, the average American is responsible for adding 4 metric tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. 

The most recent data, from 2010, shows the following Ocean County sites on the map:

• Ocean County Landfill, Route 70 in Manchester, emitted 178,731 MT of methane and 113 MT of carbon dioxide.
• Lakewood Cogeneration, off Airport Road in Lakewood, emitted 141,749 MT of carbon dioxide.
• Ocean Peaking Power (shares a location with Lakewood Cogeneration), emitted 115,726 MT of carbon dioxide.
• Maxim Power Corp, Route 9 in Forked River (located near Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station), emitted 10,028 MT parts of carbon dioxide.
• Cedar Power Station, Route 9 in Cedar Run, emitted 4,988 MT of carbon dioxide

According to NJSpotlight: "In New Jersey, the list of top stationary sources of greenhouse emissions includes 41 power plants in the state, four refineries, a number of garbage incinerators, a brewery in Newark, 18 landfills, including a superfund toxic waste site, and most of the big universities, including Rutgers University, and hundreds of chemical plants."

Although power plants are a major producer of greenhouse gas emissions, Oyster Creek Generating Station was not on the EPA's list.

“One of the major benefits of nuclear power is that it does not produce greenhouse gases,” plant spokesperson Suzanne D'Ambrosio said.

Oyster Creek avoids emitting 7.5 MT of carbon dioxide yearly compared to fossil fuel plants, she said.

To access the interactive map, check out the EPA website.

Elaine Piniat contributed to this report.