Coal Means Cheap, Clean, Reliable Electricity

Coal Means Cheap, Clean, Reliable Electricity

There are now more than 300 million people in the United States-but it's not just the population that's growing. The U.S. economy has grown consistently over the past five years and the gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to continue to grow stea

dily. A growing population and economy may be good for the country, but with that growth comes an increased demand for electricity.

U.S. homes and businesses already have a hungry appetite for electricity, and as demand grows, electricity generation must keep pace or the country will face an energy shortfall. Energy-efficiency programs can help reduce demand, but these programs cannot solve the problem alone. To meet the growing demand, America must build new power plants.

Good As Coal?

There are a number of new coal plants throughout the country, some of which are replacing older, dirtier and more costly plants. Yet there is a growing debate about whether these new coal plants can deliver the most cost-effective, clean and reliable electricity for the country's growing electricity needs.

In that regard, Americans for Balanced Energy Choices (ABEC) points out that more than half (50.4 percent) of the United States' electricity is pro

duced from coal, compared to about 19.3 from nuclear, 19 from gas and 6.4 from hydro. Plus, average electricity bills in the United States are much lower than in other countries.

Adding additional coal to the country's energy mix can help ensure reliable, affordable power-and still ensure that we continue the progress on promoting improved air quality and protecting the environment. Here's why:

• Coal is affordable, averaging one-third the cost of petroleum and natural gas, and the price of coal is stable.

• Coal is abundant. We have a 250-year supply (at current use) right here in the United States.

• Electricity from coal is cleaner than ever and getting cleaner with constantly advancing technologies. In fact, coal-based power plants built today are an average of 80 percent cleaner than existing ones. And over the next 15 years, emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases will drop to almost zero.

While the United States will continue to rely on a mix of fuels-including renewables-to power the growing demand for electricity, clean, affordable, domestic coal can play an important role in our energy future.
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To learn more, visit the Web sites www.BalancedEnergy.org and www.LearnAboutCoal.org. America's coal supply is expected to provide plenty of cheap, clean electricity to meet the country's growing needs.

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