Importing coal

Here’s a story you don’t hear about much:

With nearly a quarter of the world’s coal supply — enough to last centuries — the United States has been dubbed the "Saudi Arabia of Coal" by US officials and energy experts.

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But thanks to growing global coal markets and clean air regulations, the US is witnessing a latter-day equivalent of "carrying coals to Newcastle" — a 230 percent leap in coal imports to the US since 1999.

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If present trends continue, the US will be a net importer of coal by 2013, according to the Energy Information Administration of the US Department of Energy.

The more you hear about coal, the better it gets!