Mining & Air Quality

Air quality has been improving in the United States as the use of coal has increased to provide more than half of the nation's electricity.

EPA found the following decrease in coal-based emissions at selected monitoring sites from 1970 to 2005:

Coal use by electric utilities has risen from 320 million tons in 1970 to 1,016 million tons in 2005. Emissions of sulfur dioxide from coal-fired power plants hit a peak of 16.8 million tons in 1975 and declined to 10.7 million tons in 2000.


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These trends are due to several factors, including more effective cleaning of coal before it leaves the mine; increased use of clean coal technologies, including improved flue gas desulfurization systems; lox-NOX burners; the greater use of low sulfur coal; and the blending of coals with different sulfur contents.

Mining itself causes very little air pollution. Steps are taken by mining operations to suppress dust from haul roads and the crushing and concentrating processes. The major expenditures have been made by mineral smelting and refining operations to control emissions, particularly of SO2.

U.S. Utility Coal Use, Sulfur Dioxide Emissions 1970-2009
(million short tons)

Year

Electric Power Coal Use

Emissions/
Coal-Based Plants

1970 320 15.8
1975 406 16.8
1980 569 16.1
1985 694 15.6
1990 783 15.2
1995 950 11.6
2000 986 10.6
2001 964 10.0
2002 978 9.9
2003* 1,005 10.2
2004* 1,016 9.8
2005* 1,038 9.8
2006* 1,027 9.3
2007* 1,045 8.8
2008* 1,041 7.5
2009* 937 5.8

Source: Environmental Protection Agency/Energy Information Administration

* = preliminary   n/a= not available

National Ambiant Air Quality Standards

Multi-Emissions Proposal