After four years of growth, U.S. coal exports decreased by 16 million short tons (MMst) in 2025, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau. Exports totaled 93 MMst in 2025, compared with 108 MMst in 2024. Thermal coal exports fell by 18%, and metallurgical coal exports fell by 11%. The … [continued]
Washington, D.C. — Pollution from coal-fired power plants has reached a quarter-century high under the Trump administration. This massive spike comes as the Trump administration touts rollbacks of bedrock public health safeguards, exemptions for polluting coal plants from emission standards, and handouts to coal plants across the country. Last month, Donald Trump was crowned the “undisputed champion of … [continued]
US coal jobs continue to decline, with Trump’s tariff war among the factors credited with mangling the all-important overseas market for domestic metallurgical coal (courtesy of Congressional Research Service).
The promise of a coal power revival is already being undermined by new energy storage technologies for wind and solar, including sodium-ion batteries.
Many people concerned about the climate crisis and pollution will be happy to hear that US coal exports dropped 11% in the first half of 2025. Proponents of sticking with fossil fuels despite the climate and pollution problems may be surprised to find out that much of the reason for … [continued]
Developers added 12 gigawatts (GW) of new utility-scale solar electric generating capacity in the United States during the first half of 2025, and they plan to add another 21 GW in the second half of the year, according to our latest survey of electric generating capacity changes. If those plans are … [continued]
Based on what power plant owners and operators have reported to EIA, the total operating capacity of U.S. coal-fired power plants is scheduled to fall from 172 gigawatts (GW) in May 2025 to 145 GW by the end of 2028, according to our Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory. On a … [continued]
In 2024, the United States consumed about 94 quadrillion British thermal units (quads) of energy, a 1% increase from 2023, according to our Monthly Energy Review. Fossil fuels—petroleum, natural gas, and coal—accounted for 82% of total U.S. energy consumption in 2024. Nonfossil fuel energy—from renewables and nuclear energy—accounted for the other … [continued]
The United States continued to produce more energy than it consumed in 2024. This surplus energy production helped energy exports grow to a record high 30.9 quadrillion British thermal units (quads) in 2024, up 4% from 2023. Energy imports stayed flat at 21.7 quads in 2024, meaning the United States exported 9.3 quads more … [continued]
In 2023, the United States produced 578 million short tons (MMst) of coal, or less than half of the amount produced in 2008 when U.S. coal production peaked, according to our most recent Annual Coal Report. The production decline is spread almost evenly across each type of coal and continued in 2024. … [continued]
