You may not be fond of coal if it's in your Christmas stocking, but some see it as a useful and beneficial source of energy. Recently more energy companies have opted to build coal-burning plants, and experts are debating whether this is a viable solution to our energy needs. They say America runs on coal, but are we running in the right direction?
America is often referred to as the " Saudi Arabia of coal." The United States has the largest supply of coal reserves in the world. According to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy, 29% of total world coal reserves exist in the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data indicates that the U.S. has over 264 billion short tons of recoverable reserves; enough to last for over 234 years at current use levels.
Coal
is used in almost every state to generate 50 percent of our electricity
nationally. Both government and industry forecasts indicate that coal will
continue to provide the majority of American electricity for the foreseeable
future. In fact, EIA estimates expect that, by 2030, coal use will have grown
substantially and coal will provide 54 percent of our nation’s energy.
Coal is our most abundant fossil fuel:
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