“The United States has enough coal reserves to last at least another 250 years, with reserves that are over one-and-one-half times greater than our nearest competitor, Russia, and over twice that of China. [Including] … Alaska, which contains more coal reserves than all of the lower 48 states combined … the U.S. has enough coal to last 9,000 years at today’s consumption rate.”
– Testimony before the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, Committee on Natural Resources, July 9, 2013.
Coal is the world’s most plentiful fossil fuel and is the most abundant fossil fuel produced in the United States. Over 90 percent of the coal consumed in the United States is used to generate electricity. Coal is also used as a basic industry source for making steel, cement and paper, and is used in other industries as well.…