What coal means to the U.S. workforce

Did you know that the coal industry employs people in four primary groups – coal production, coal transportation, power generation and power plant suppliers? Furthermore, the coal industry provides jobs to construction workers building new plants or retrofitting existing plants, as well as to researchers and scientists who are developing new clean coal technologies like carbon capture and sequestration (CCS).

To put that in perspective, consider the number of mining jobs alone in the United States: more than 81,000.

In addition to direct jobs associated with coal, other jobs are created because of access to low-cost energy. A recent study found that energy costs are second only to labor costs for a business, and coal-based electricity provides the affordable energy we need to create American jobs and get the economy back on track.

At one-third of the price of most other fuels, it’s easy to connect the dots from an affordable energy source to steady, reliable jobs.

How much coal does your state use to generate electricity? Find your state on the map and see how your state’s use of coal correlates to energy prices. You might be surprised at the impact coal-generated electricity has on your community...