Coal supplies 27 percent of the world's energy.  The U.S. has about 27 percent of the world's coal reserves.  Other areas with large reserves are Russia (17 percent) and China (12 percent).  Coal reserves are expected to last more than 200 years at current consumption levels.  The projected amount of coal resources (unidentified deposits), however, might last much longer.

About 41 percent of the world's electricity and 49 percent of U.S. electricity is produced from coal.  The coal is burned in boilers to produce steam, which drives turbines that generate electricity.  

Bituminous coal has high heat content and is relatively cheap and plentiful, but air-quality problems are associated with its use, and strip mining for coal may result in soil erosion.  Reclamation is required to revegetate and recontour mined areas to restore the terrain to nearly its original state.

New technologies can burn coal more efficiently and cleanly.  These include coal gasification and liquefaction methods that have begun to replace old-style coal burners.  Even the most efficient coal-burning technologies, however, cause more environmental harm than oil, natural gas, or natural gas liquids such as propane.