Friday, July 20, 2012

More Appalachian coal than ever being exported

U.S. coal exports have doubled since 2009, reaching 107 million tons last year, and three out of every four tons exported come from mountaintop-removal mines in Appalachia, according to Democrats in the U.S. House.

The Charleston Gazette's Ken Ward Jr. says coal exports "make up a small share of coal production" in Appalachia, but the report by House Natural Resources Committee staff members did find that 97 surface mines in the region exported overseas in 2011 compared to 73 in 2008, exports in the region have grown by 91 percent since 2009, and those 97 mines exported 27 percent of their overall production in 2011. To read the report, click here.

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