Fast Facts About Coal Coal is a combustible mineral formed from the remains of trees, ferns and other plants that existed and died during the time of the dinosaurs. Coal is far more plentiful than domestic oil or natural gas, accounting for some 95 percent of the nation's fossil energy reserves. The mining industry is now recognized as one of the safest, with a lower rate of injuries and illnesses per 100 employees than the agriculture, construction or retail trades. Union members account for about 39 percent of the coal industry's work force. Coal is the largest freight commodity moved by barges on the nation's inland waterways products.
Railroads account for nearly two-thirds of total U.S. coal shipments.
Nine of every 10 tons of coal used in the United States are for electricity generation. Of all fuel and non-fuel commodities mined, the quantity of coal currently produced ranks third behind crushed stone, sand and gravel. The largest coal producing state is Wyoming, with 314 million tons of production in 1998. In the past five years, the U.S. has produced more than one billion tons of coal each year. Nearly two-thirds of today's coal production results from surface rather than underground mining.