This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
All told, consumption of coal for electricity generation in the U.S. electric power sector fell from a peak of over 1 billion short tons to an estimated 0.7 billion short tons between 2007-2015. At the same time, natural gas consumption rose across a number of states, including many of those with the steepest coal declines.
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In Ohio and Pennsylvania, coal use for power generation decreased by 49% and 44%, respectively. In the Southeast, coal consumption dropped by half in Georgia, North Carolina, and Alabama. Four states – Idaho, Vermont, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia – do not use coal for power generation within their state borders, according to the EIA.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Annual
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