The price should decline in 1998, again assuming normal weather and increases in domestic production and Canadian imports. U.S. coal production reached a record 1,057 million short tons in 1996. Production is expected to grow by 2.7 percent in 1997 and by an additional 1.0 percent in 1998. Production in the Western region should continue to rise over the forecast period, while production in the interior declines and Appalachian growth slows. The Short-Term Energy Outlook is published quarterly in January, April, July, and October.
Monthly updates are now available on the Internet.
Users can view and download both the updated forecast analysis and the forecasting model from the EIA Home Page on the World Wide Web system.