Coal mining is an industry in transition in the United States. Production in 2019 was down 40% from the peak production of 1,171.8 million short tons (1,063 million metric tons) in 2008. Employment of 43,000 coal miners is down from a peak of 883,000 in 1923.[1] Generation of electricity is the largest user of coal, being used to produce 50% of electric power in 2005 and 27% in 2018.[2] The U.S. is a net exporter of coal. U.S. coal exports, for which Europe is the largest customer, peaked in 2012.[3] In 2015, the U.S. exported 7.0 percent of mined coal.[4]
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), in 2015, Wyoming, West Virginia, Kentucky, Illinois, and Pennsylvania produced about 639 million short tons (580 million metric tons), representing 71% of total coal production in the United States.[5]
In 2015, four publicly traded U.S. coal companies filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, including Patriot Coal Corporation, Walter Energy, and the fourth-largest Alpha Natural Resources. By January 2016, more than 25% of coal production was in bankruptcy in the United States[6] including the top two producers Peabody Energy[7][8] and Arch Coal.[6][9] When Arch Coal filed for bankruptcy protection, the price of coal had dropped 50% since 2011[10] and it was $4.5 billion in debt.[6][10] On October 5, 2016, Arch Coal emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.[11] In October 2018, Westmoreland Coal Company filed for bankruptcy protection.[12][13][14] On May 10, 2019, the third largest U.S. coal company by production, Cloud Peak Energy, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.[15] On October 29, 2019, Murray Energy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.[16]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "EIA – Electricity Data". eia.gov. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ "U.S. coal exports increased by 61% in 2017 as exports to Asia more than doubled – Today in Energy – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)". eia.gov.
- ^ U.S. coal exports fall on lower European demand, increased global supply, US Energy Information Administration, October 3, 2014.
- ^ "Which states produce the most coal?". EIA. February 28, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
- ^ a b c Tracy Rucinski (January 10, 2016). "Arch Coal files for bankruptcy, hit by mining downturn". Reuters.
- ^ "Peabody Energy Chapter 11 Petition" (PDF). PacerMonitor. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
- ^ "Top coal miner Peabody files for bankruptcy". The Sydney Morning Herald. April 13, 2016. Archived from the original on April 14, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
- ^ Matthew Brown; Mead Gruver (March 28, 2017). "How Trump's executive order will affect coal industry". Billings Gazette. Associated Press. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
- ^ a b John W. Miller; Peg Brickley (January 11, 2016), "Arch Coal files for Bankruptcy", The Wall Street Journal
- ^ Chaney, Sarah (October 5, 2016). "Arch Coal Emerges from Chapter 11". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
- ^ "Westmoreland Enters into Restructuring Support Agreement with Members of Ad Hoc Lending Group; WMLP Simultaneously Files Chapter 11 to Sell Assets". westmoreland.com. Westmoreland Coal Company. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
- ^ Kilgore, Tomi (October 9, 2018). "Coal producer Westmoreland Resource Partners files for bankruptcy". MarketWatch. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
- ^ "Westmoreland Coal Company files for bankruptcy protection". Retrieved October 10, 2018.
- ^ "Third-Biggest U.S. Coal Company Files for Bankruptcy". Flathead Beacon. May 10, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
- ^ "Murray Energy News: Coal Miner Goes Bust as Trump Rescue Fails". Bloomberg.com. October 29, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.