Dr. Frank Clemente
Yes, America is the Saudi Arabia of Coal
In a recent Wall Street Journal article on U.S. coal reserves, a spokesperson for the U.S. Geological Survey is quoted as saying, “We really can’t say we’re the Saudi Arabia of coal anymore."
Oh really…Since when? Of course we can – and we are. America has enough coal to power our economy for the next century and beyond.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) says we have 267 billion tons of economically recoverable coal for 240 years at current use. Cal Tech researchers say about 130 billion tons for 120 years. Even taking the Cal Tech number, we have far more btu in recoverable coal than the Saudis have oil. U.S. coal has the equivalent of 550 billion barrels of oil. Saudi oil reserves are only 260 million barrels. In short, even using the conservative (and unlikely) Cal Tech numbers, we have enough low-cost coal to last until Halley’s Comet comes around again – for the second time.
And there will certainly be far more coal available than Cal Tech researchers indicate. It all depends on technology and price. Even George Warholic at EIA said recently, “It’s kind of crazy to postulate how long U.S. reserves will last... 110 years or 225 years...it all depends on your assumptions.”
He’s right. Many of the coal seams producing today were viewed as uneconomic 30 years ago. Technology is constantly improving, and even modest price increases open up vast expanses of coal all over the nation – especially in the Powder River Basin. America has 28 percent of the world’s coal reserves, more coal than any other nation, and coal is in the ground in over half the states, our energy ace in the hole.
In short, we know where the coal is and how to get it. Our coal reserves are far more predictable than oil and natural gas supplies and offer Americans much needed energy security at just a fraction of the cost of the alternatives.
If we split the difference between Cal Tech and EIA forecasts, we get about 200 billion tons. That amount of coal could:
- Supply over 100 years of electricity to the entire nation
- Yield upwards of a trillion barrels of oil using coal-to-liquid technology – over 125 years of current consumption
- Provide over 2,000 trillion cubic feet of substitute natural gas – lasting a century at present rates of usage
Coal has been and will continue to be the steady workhorse for our electricity supply. And, through the process of coal conversion it can also help relieve our oil and natural gas constraints. Unlike any other nation, America’s coal creates an energy advantage that is abundant, secure and uniquely ours.
Joe Lucas
The Factuality Tour 2009 Hits the Road, Reveals Power of Coal
Reliable, affordable electricity is vital to America. Still, many people don't know that coal fuels nearly 50 percent of our electric power. Here at the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE), we started the Factuality Tour, a multi-stop, cross-country tour and video blog, to tell the true story of coal in America — from mine to plug.
Follow along as Steve Gates, our Senior Communications Director, sets out from Wyoming’s Powder River Basin, home of some of the world’s largest and most productive mines. Steve also rides the rails and takes an inside look at the amazing rail dispatching center at Union Pacific's operations in Omaha, Neb. He stops by coffee shops and diners throughout middle America to speak with ordinary men and women about the jobs and investment coal brings to their communities and the enormous promise of next generation clean coal projects.
And how's this for the ultimate coal hard fact: carbon capture and storage is happening right now. Steve will soon end his tour at one of the nation’s most advanced coal-fueled power plants, where you'll get the chance to see the process up-close.
Coal Can Do That
Clean Coal Has Scale to Alleviate Energy Poverty
Citizens with good access to electricity are far more likely to live longer, eat better and enjoy a higher education. Yet more than 2 billion people around the world lack adequate access to electricity. Another 1.6 billion – more than five times the U.S. population – have no electricity at all and need power for basic needs: clean drinking water, light and home heat.
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Coal is the primary source of the world’s electricity and the only fuel with the scale and cost advantage to alleviate energy poverty. The power of coal to lift people to a higher quality of life is perhaps most notable in China, which uses coal to fuel 80 percent of its electricity.
Less than a generation ago, more than 600 million people in China lacked electricity and only 1 in 500 had a telephone. Today, China is the world’s third-largest economy behind the United States and Japan. More than 700 million people have gained access to electricity.
Coal fuels China’s remarkable rise, along with the economies of scores of other nations. China’s example is as a model for the developing world, according to the Paris-based International Energy Agency: “Electrification in China is a remarkable success story… The important lesson for other developing countries is that electrified countries reap great benefits, both in terms of economic growth and human welfare, and China stands as an example.”
And while Asia’s long-term projected energy needs are enormous, more mature economies will also continue to demand affordable power to sustain our modern way of life. Coal’s affordability and abundance make it a fuel for social progress even in the most advanced economies. Coal is the world’s fastest-growing fuel. Dozens of nations are developing new coal-fueled generation and more than 200 gigawatts of coal plants are under construction and expected to begin generation in the next several years. This in turn, drives significant economic growth, representing about 4.5 million jobs and $1 trillion in economic impacts. New coal plants also use advanced technologies that have dramatically lower emissions than the existing fleet and lower carbon footprints.
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Coal’s improving environmental track record gives it a new green profile as the world’s favorite fuel. And technologies now under development are changing the color of coal, working to achieve the ultimate goal of near-zero emissions with carbon management.
Click here to view the Out of Poverty Study
