Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-01
Enough Coal in US.
To Lost 200 Years
$50 Billion Tons Of Fuel
Estimoted by Scientists
By Thomos R. Henry

The potentially recoverable coal re-
serves Of the United States total about
$50 billion tons-probably enough to
last another two centuries.
This reserve is more than a third Of
the total world supply.
A new appraisal of the Nations
fuel resources has just been made by
Geological Survey scientists Paul
Averitt. Louise r. Berryhill and Dor
othy A. Taylor. It is based on recent
surveys by both Federal and State Gov
ernments. The estimate is considered
conservative.
Although the figure of $50 billion
tons is quite impressive, the survey re-
port points out only about fourth Is
of economic Importance at present.
This is the amount which can be
mined cheaply-that which occurs in
beds % inches or more thick and under
less than 1000 feet of overburden. The
remaining two-thirds will be much
more difficult and costly to get out of
the earth.
Hard to Estimate.
With a rapidly growing population
and more and more industry, the re-
port says, 1t Is impossible to estimate
how long the coal reserves will last.
There is every indication that the drain
on them will become heavier and
heavier as the much smaller reserves
Of fuel oil become exhausted-probably
within the next so years. Thus the
end definitely is in sight within the
next four or five generations, with the
prospects of atomic energy still highly
debatable and questionable.
1.-THE industrial machine of the
United States annually consumes pro-
digious quantities of energy" says the
report. THE mineral fuels and water
power produced in 1882, for example,
contained heat energy equivalent to
eight horse power per person per day
for the entire year. The overall use Of
energy has quadrupled in the past SO
years and nearly doubled in the last
Is years.
During 1852. coal supplied only "a
per cent of the total energy produced
from all sources while petroleum and
natural gas supplied 61.9 per cent. The
percentage of total energy supplied by
coal has decreased steadily from about
90 per cent in 1900, accompanied by .
corresponding increase in use Of petro-
leum and natural gas which had
greater consumer appeal because Of
their convenience.
This trend is not expected to con-
tinue. Coal. or some equally abundant
and economic form of energy, must
carry an increasing part of the load"
More Efficiency.
Use of coal, the report points out,
continually becomes more and more
efficient. In 1920 an average of three
pounds was required to produce one
kilowatt-hour of electricity. In 1851
only LA was required.
Says the report: "The form in which
the energy in coal is used is perhaps
the largest Understandable factor that
enters into any consideration of the life
expectancy of coal reserves. It has
been pointed out that the United
States is committing itself to a liquid
and gas fuel economy and ultimately
coal may become an important ma
terial for synthesis of these fuels in
addition to filling the requirements for
solid fuel. If such conversion becomes
general the need for coal will be
enormous for, on the basis of present
technology, about so per cent of the
potential energy in coal is lost in the
conversion to liquid fuel"