FAST FACTS

Fast Facts About Coal - Fast Facts About Minerals

Fast Facts About Coal
Coal is a combustible mineral formed from the remains of trees, ferns and other plants that existed and died during the time of the dinosaurs.

Coal generates about half the electricity used in the United States.

On average, each person in the U.S. uses 7,442 pounds of coal annually.

According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), in 2006 there were approximately 600 power plants (1,600 plant units) and 1,100 manufacturing facilities using coal.

Coal is far more plentiful than domestic oil or natural gas, accounting for some 95 percent of the nation's fossil energy reserves. It is found in 38 states, under 458,600 square miles, or about 13 percent of the nation’s land area. It is currently produced in 26 states.

The United States has nearly 268 billion tons of recoverable coal reserves. That's about a 240 year supply at today's usage rates. Worldwide, coal reserves of about one trillion tons are estimated to last 155 years. Coal represents an estimated 60 percent of the world's total fossil fuel reserves.

The National Mining Association estimates that the nation will need approximately 50,000 new coal miners across the U.S. to meet increasing demand and to replace retiring miners over the next ten years.

Every million tons of coal produced in the U.S. supports an average of 103 jobs.

For each job in coal mining, an additional 3.5 jobs are created elsewhere in the economy.

The mining industry is now recognized as one of the safest, with a lower rate of nonfatal injuries and illnesses per 100 employees than the agriculture, construction, manufacturing or retail trades. Mining accounted for less than one percent of U.S. fatal injuries in 2006.

Union members account for about 25 percent of the coal industry's work force in 2006.

Coal is the largest freight commodity moved by barges on the nation's inland waterways.

Railroads account for two-thirds of total U.S. coal shipments.

Nearly all coal shipped by railroads is transported in unit trains, and the number of cars can vary anywhere from 75 to 140. According to the 2006 Waybill Statistics, the weighted average number of cars in a coal unit train was 114.

More than nine of every 10 tons of coal used in the United States are for electricity generation.

Of all fuel and non-fuel commodities mined, the quantity of coal currently produced ranks third behind stone and sand & gravel.

The largest coal producing state is Wyoming, with 447 million tons of production in 2006. In the past eleven years, the U.S. has produced more than one billion tons of coal each year.

Approximately two-thirds of today's coal production results from surface rather than underground mining.

Coal is by far the cheapest source of power fuel per million Btu, averaging less than one quarter the price of petroleum and natural gas.

Power plants being built today emit 90 percent less pollutants (SO2, particulates, NOx, mercury) than the plants they typically replace from the 1970s. (Source: NETL, Cost and Performance Baseline for Fossil Energy Plants, May 2007)

U.S. coal exports to foreign destinations contributed $3.5 billion in 2006 to the U.S. balance of payments. The coal industry exports coal to more than forty nations worldwide.

Coal accounts for about 33 percent of U.S. energy production and 22 percent of consumption.

Worldwide, coal accounts for about 25 percent of total energy consumption and generates over 40 percent of the world's electricity and employs an estimated 7 million people.

While coal use for domestic electricity has more than tripled since 1970, government statistics show sulfur dioxide emissions have decreased more than 38 percent below 1970 levels. By 2030, SO2 emissions are expected to drop nearly in half from today's levels!

The coal industry has reclaimed in excess of 2.2 million acres of mined lands over the past 25 years -- an area larger than the state of Delaware.

Since 1978, the coal industry has paid over $7 billion to reclaim abandoned mine lands.

According to the Office of Surface Mining (OSM 2002), in the past 25 years, more that 24 billion tons of coal have been produced under the regulatory requirements of the Active Coal Mining Regulatory Program; more than five million acres have been mined to produce that coal; and most of the land has been reclaimed or is being reclaimed to the standards set by federal law.

Productivity rates have reached an astonishing average of more than 6 tons per coal miner per hour, or 48 tons in single 8-hour day.

It's estimated that mountaintop mining represents roughly 10 percent of U.S. coal production (EPA, 2003).

Anthracite: Sometimes also called "hard coal," anthracite was formed from bituminous coal when great pressures developed in folded rock strata during the creation of mountain ranges. Anthracite has the highest energy content of all coals and is used for space heating and generating electricity. Anthracite averages 25 million Btu per ton.

Bituminous: Bituminous or "soft" coal formed when greater pressure was applied to subbituminous coal. This is the type most commonly used for electric power generation in the U.S.. It has a higher heating value than either lignite or subbituminous, but less than that of anthracite. Bituminous coal averages 24 million Btu per ton.

Subbituminous: Subbituminous coal formed from lignite when it came under higher pressure. This coal is a combustible mineral formed from the remains of trees, ferns and other plants that existed and died during the time of the dinosaurs. A dull black coal with a higher heating value than lignite that is used primarily for generating electricity and for space heating. Subbituminous coal averages 18 million Btu per ton.

Lignite: Increased pressures and heat from overlying strata caused buried peat to dry and harden into lignite. Lignite is a brownish-black coal with generally high moisture and ash content and lower heating value. However, it is an important form of energy for generating electricity, particularly in the American Southwest. Lignite averages 14 million Btu per ton.

updated 1/28/2008