Facts You Should Know About Coal

The U.S. has nearly 262 billion tons of recoverable coal reserves, according to the Energy Information Administration. That figure translates to a 235-year supply at current rates of use. With the U.S. producing more than 1 billion tons of coal annually, mining is one of our major energy industries with more than 90% of the coal mined in the U.S. being used to create electric power. Major coal producing states range from Arizona to Pennsylvania and Wyoming. 26 states all-in-all are major coal producers. As recent as 2007, electricity generation has shifted away from coal and has been replaced with natural gas and other renewable power sources that have less toxic environmental impact.