Privacy Policy
PlainCarbon ("we", "us", "our") operates plaincarbon.com. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and protect information when you visit our website.
Information We Collect
Analytics data: We use anonymized analytics (Google Analytics and Umami) to understand how visitors use PlainCarbon. This includes pages visited, time on page, and general location (country/region). No personally identifiable information is collected through analytics.
Contact form: If you contact us via our contact form, we collect your name, email address, and message content to respond to your inquiry.
Log data: Our web servers automatically collect standard log data including IP address, browser type, referring page, and timestamps. Log data is retained for security purposes and deleted after 30 days.
Cookies
We use cookies for analytics and to remember your preference settings (such as dark mode). We do not use tracking cookies for advertising purposes. Third-party services we use (Google Analytics, Google AdSense) may set their own cookies in accordance with their respective privacy policies.
Your browser's light/dark theme preference is stored in localStorage, which never leaves your device.
If you use My watchlist, a localStorage item (plaincarbon:saved) stores the company, facility, state, and industry slugs you chose. It never leaves your browser, is not an account, and is not used for advertising. You can clear it from the watchlist page.
Data Sources
All emissions data displayed on PlainCarbon comes from the U.S. EPA Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) via the FLIGHT tool, with supplementary context from the EIA and state environmental agencies. No private or proprietary data is used. No personally identifiable information from these datasets is stored or displayed.
Editorial Independence
PlainCarbon is published by Kiznis Studio, an independent data-engineering studio (solo-operated). The portal transforms EPA GHGRP, EIA, and state-agency data into readable facility and company profiles, and is responsible for its methodology and corrections process.
We do not accept payment, sponsorship, or promoted placement from regulated facilities, parent companies, industry groups, or any covered entity. Our only revenue source is contextual display advertising served by Google AdSense, advertisers do not influence which entities we cover or how we present data, and they do not receive preferential placement.
Advertising
PlainCarbon displays advertisements through Google AdSense. Google's DoubleClick cookie enables Google and its partners to serve ads based on your visits to this and other websites. You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google's Ad Settings. You can also opt out of third-party vendor cookies at aboutads.info. For a full list of Google's ad technology providers, visit Google's ad technology providers page.
Data Sharing
We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share aggregated, non-personally identifiable data for research or analytical purposes.
Data Security
We implement reasonable security measures to protect data submitted through our contact form. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure.
Your Rights
You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of any personal data we hold about you by contacting us at the address below. EU and California residents have additional rights under GDPR and CCPA respectively.
Contact
Questions about this privacy policy? Contact us.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy periodically. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. Continued use of PlainCarbon after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
Download the state summary cited on this page: ghgrp-state-statistics.csv (same CSV as /statistics, CC BY 4.0).
Who Publishes This
PlainCarbon is operated by Kiznis Studio, an independent data-engineering studio (solo-operated). Questions, corrections, and accountability inquiries can be sent to hello@plaincarbon.com.
PlainCarbon's emissions data comes from the EPA Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP). See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. For the boundaries on using this data, read our privacy policy, terms of use, and appropriate-use disclaimer.