Right now, Wyoming is West Virginia s biggest coal competitor. In 1998, the West surpassed Appalachia as the leading coal producing region. Wyoming was the biggest producer of Western coal, extracting more than318 million tons that year. Most of Wyoming s coal comes from the Powder River Basin, a huge, easily accessible coal deposit with seams exceeding 50 feet. Ziemkiewicz said Powder River Basin coal easily could flood the nation s entire coal market.
Doesn t produce as much heat as Appalachian coal.
Must be hauled thousands of miles to get to East Coast power plants. It costs us a lot to get coal out, but we can ship it anywhere. All can provide coal to markets in Europe and Asia cheaper than West Virginia. As a result, the state s mines saw a 50 percent decrease in coal exports last year. American exports overall dropped 25 percent.