Appalachian coal is mined in both surface and underground mines located in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Ohio. The coal is transported primarily by train, barge, and truck to electric utility plants throughout the Eastern United States. Interior coal is mined in both surface and underground mines located primarily in Illinois, Indiana and western Kentucky. It is bituminous coal with a high percentage of sulfur and contains approximately 11,000 Btu per pound. Most of this coal is delivered to plants in the Central and Southeastern United States.
Western coal is mined in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, North Dakota, Arizona, and New Mexico.
It is delivered to plants throughout the Western and Central United States. Most of this coal originates in the Powder River basin of northeast Wyoming and southeast Montana. Coal from this region is delivered by unit train to plants as far east as Indiana and Georgia. The cost of coal delivered to electric utilities can vary significantly from State to State. Environmental restrictions within a State may require electric utilities to burn only the more expensive, low-sulfur coal resulting in a higher delivered cost.