U.S. has 957 billion tons of coal on government land
U.S. has 957 billion tons of coal on government land
mongabay.com
September 5, 2007
Wednesday, U.S. government agencies announced the country has about 957 billion tons in coal reserves on federal lands. More than half the total lies in Montana and Wyoming. Additional reserves are found on private lands.
Sometimes known as the Saudi Arabia of coal for its extensive deposits, the U.S. is facing pressure from environmentalists who say that coal burning is worsening air pollution and driving global warming. More than 40 percent of the electricity produced in the United States comes from coal fired power plants, which account for about 31 percent of the country’s carbon dioxide emissions.
Opposition to coals plants has increased in recent years. In July, the Wall Street Journal reported that some 20 coal projects have been canceled since early 2006. Texas, Florida, North Carolina, and Oregon have all seen projects dumped.
 Current coal reserves. Source: US Department of Energy/Energy Information Administration |
The coal industry has been aggressively pushing for subsidies which it says are needed to develop “clean” coal technologies. The government is presently funding some research for such development but environmentalists say the firms are looking for handouts and that the funds are better spent on energy efficiency initiatives.
Meanwhile, oil producers have pushed coal-to-oil conversion as a way to use coal as a liquid fuel. However studies from the Natural Resources Defense Council, an American environmental group, estimate the production and use of a gallon of liquid fuel originating from coal emits about 80 percent more carbon dioxide than the production and use of other fuels — gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel — derived from crude oil
