ConocoPhillips, biofuels center ink research pact
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Kentucky carbon storage test partnership formed
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Electricity has become an essential commodity for our way of life. Americans spend over $250 billion per year on electricity - which is now the second largest commodity bought and sold in America (second only to food).

Experts agree that fuel diversity is desirable to ensure reliability and keep energy costs low for consumers. Today, over half of the electricity America relies upon each day is generated using coal.

Within our borders, we have enough coal to last the next 200 years. Coal is our nation's most abundant fuel, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. America has more than 250 billion tons of recoverable coal reserves, the equivalent of 800 billion barrels of oil, more than three times Saudi Arabia's proven oil reserves.

ACCCE believes that a balanced energy portfolio – using all of our available domestic energy resources – will be needed to meet America’s growing electricity needs and still keep energy supplies reliable and affordable.

Coal is also uniquely position to satisfy growing electricity demand requirements. Renewable resources like solar and wind are not suitable replacements for coal when it comes to providing "baseload" power (the constant, steady supply of electricity that must be available at all times to ensure the that electricity transition grid functions properly); and unlike natural gas (which is used primarily for home heating and industrial purposes) using coal to generate electricity does not drive up energy costs in other consuming sectors.

And producing electricity from coal costs less than most other fuels.

Coal continues to be the fuel of choice for electricity generation because it is domestically abundant and affordable. Technology makes it possible to use coal to generate electricity and still meet today's stringent environmental standards.