More than forty-four plants exist nationally, with ten or more being in West Virginia. The potential for disrupting coal markets, including importing of western coal, is real. Criticism of synfuel tax credits has led to examination of justification for the tax break. The state ships coal to Canada, Brazil, Italy, United Kingdom, Japan, France, Netherlands, Romania, Belgium, Luxembourg, Turkey, and to other countries. Both the U.S. Commerce Department and the National Mining Association predict that demand for coal will continue to increase as will its production.
Emissions standards stimulate demand .
For West Virginia there exists an environmental irony . Low-sulfur coal , available in abundance in southern West Virginia, is in high demand by utilities which must meet emission standards set in the 1990 Clean Air Act. So a desirable environmental statute has stimulated demand for West Virginia coal, thereby increasing coal production which destroys more mountains and streams and generates more high-stack emissions which pollute the air. Deregulation of electricty production, transmission, and sale . Unregulated electricty markets in the 1880s left a bad taste in the mouths of American consumers.