Figure 7.3.2, United States coal production in
2004 totaled 1,111.5 million short tons. This map illustrates the
three coal- producing regions in the United States and the millions
of short tons of coal produced in each region in 2004. (EIA, 2005.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/non-renewable/coal.html)
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Coal reserves are beds of coal still in the ground, waiting to be
mined. The United States has the world's largest known coal
reserves, about 275 billion short tons. (Short tons weigh slightly
less than the standard, metric ton.) This is enough coal to last
over two hundred years at today's level of use.
Coal production is the amount of coal that is mined and sent to
market. The United States produces over a billion short tons of coal
each year, over one-fifth of the world's coal. Coal is mined in
twenty-seven states. Wyoming mines the most coal, followed by West
Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Coal is mainly found in
three large regions: the Appalachian Coal Region, the Interior Coal
Region, and Western Coal Region (includes the Powder River
Basin).
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