All large materials handling machinery rely on diesel engines. The entire report, an executive summary, graphs and pictures are available in the features section under economic news . In 1997, there were 26,000 establishments in the United States engaged primarily in mining and energy production of oil and gas. The American mining and mineral extraction sector depends heavily on diesel power. Two of its major subsectors, surface mining and the production of oil and gas, are especially dependent on diesel power.
Surface mining is typified by the production of low-sulfur coal in Wyoming's Powder River Basin.
Once mined, low sulfur Wyoming coal is transported to 25 states and Spain, and burned for power generation. Coal-fired power plants currently generate about half of America's electricity. In order to extract this coal from surface mines, engineers must move extremely large quantities of material at low cost. The unexpectedly low cost of mining low-sulfur western coal and transporting it to eastern power plants has significantly reduced the cost of meeting sulfur emissions standards, enabling electric utilities to comply with environmental standards while holding down electricity costs. Oil and gas extraction also is highly dependent on diesel.