UCS Coal Import Index
Source of roughly half the U.S. electricity supply: coal
The last time coal wasn't the dominant source of electric power in the United States: the late 1800s
Number of states that generate at least 75 percent of their power from coal: 9
State that accounts for more coal production than all of Appalachia and more than the next six largest coal-mining states combined: Wyoming
Difference between coal from the West and coal typically found in the eastern United States: about one-third less energy, on average
Number of states that drained a net of at least $1 billion from their economies in 2008 to pay for coal imported from out of state: 11
Total weight of coal imported in 2008 by the 10 most coal-dependent states: 363 million tons
Length of train of railcars needed to carry 363 million tons of coal: 36,500 miles
Number of times a 36,500 train would circle the Earth: almost 1.5 times
Amount of money sent to other countries to import coal in 2008: $1.8 billion
Number of states that imported coal from outside the United States in 2008: 16
Amount of coal imported from outside the United States in 2008: 25.4 million tons
Number of oceangoing barges needed to transport 25.4 million tons of coal: 1,700 (or more than four arriving in U.S. ports every day)
State most dependent on international coal, with 82 percent of its coal use coming from foreign shipments: Massachusetts
The states with the highest per capita expenditures on coal imports in 2008 that spent less than one dollar per person on ratepayer-funded efficiency programs in 2007: Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, and North Carolina
Amount that power producers in these six states spent per person on imported coal: $178 to $297
Amount Georgia spends on ratepayer-funded coal imports for every one dollar spent on ratepayer-funded electricity efficiency measures: $540
Potential electricity production from major renewable energy technologies—including wind, solar, geothermal, bioenergy, and small-scale hydropower: 16 times the amount of electricity used nationwide in 2007
States that have adopted renewable electricity standards requiring utilities to gradually increase their use of renewable energy: 29
Number of states that imported more coal than they exported, creating a major drain on state and local economies: 38
Additional shared commonality between the 38 states that were net importers of coal in 2008: an abundance of local, clean energy resources that can help break dependence on coal imports.
