• Total demand for U.S. coal reached 1.05 billion tons in 2010.


• Nearly half of U.S. electricity is generated from coal.


• Each person in the U.S. uses 3.4 tons of coal annually.

• Nearly 30 percent of U.S. mines are owned by public companies. Public companies produce approximately 75 percent of U.S. coal.


• The U.S. produces about 1 billion tons of coal annually.


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

• The U.S. has nearly 261 billion tons of recoverable coal reserves, according to the Energy Information Administration.


• That’s a 235-year supply of coal at current rates of use.


• Coal is found in 38 states under 458,600 square miles-or about 13 percent of the nation’s land area.

• U.S. coal mining directly employs nearly 136,000 people.


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


• The National Mining Association estimates 50,000 new employees will be needed in coal mining over the next 10 years to meet increasing demand and to replace retiring workers.

• Power plants being built today emit 90 percent less pollutants (SO2, NOx, Particulates, mercury) than the plants they replaced from the 1970s, according to the National Energy Technology Laboratory.


• Regulated emissions from coal-based electricity generation have decreased overall by over 50 percent since the 1970s while coal use has tripled, according to government statistics.

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.

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.

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.