Coal industry creating top-paying jobs May 27, 2013 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin
Much has been reported about the evils of coal, but a new report by Ernst & Young has found that, in 2011, exports of U.S. coal to Europe and Asia added $16.6 billion to the U.S. economy.
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| Credit: Roger Geach/ Wikimedia Commons |
Coal exportation has been criticized, in part, for the pollution coal trains emit in the exporting process. But could the nearly $17 billion economic boost outweigh environmental concerns?
The report -- commissioned by the National Mining Association (NMA) to document the benefits of coal exports -- found that the 107 million short tons of coal exported in 2011 supported 141,270 jobs with wages nearly 50 percent above industry averages. Average annual income per worker in the coal export market is $96,100. The 125.7 million tons of coal exported last year, supported approximately 168,430 jobs -- setting a record volume -- and each ton supported 1,320 jobs, according to the research.
Rising off-shore demand has contributed to the increase in coal exports. From 2000 to 2010, U.S. coal mines exported about 5 percent of total production on average but have doubled the export share to average 10 percent of production, the research says.
"The U.S. has the world's largest supply of coal at a time when the rest of the world -- from Germany to China -- is using more coal to ensure affordable and reliable electricity and as an essential input in steelmaking," said Hal Quinn, NMA president and CEO.
Virginia, Louisiana and Maryland are top exporting states and the benefits have been plentiful in terms of job creation due to the export of metallurgical coal used in steelmaking from Appalachian mines, comprising 65 percent of total coal exports.
"These findings underscore the potential for other states, especially on the West Coast, to benefit economically from sharply rising coal demand from Asia projected over the coming decades," Quinn said.
For more:
- see the report
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