New Opportunities for Coal

Publication Date: June 1982

Publisher: Heritage Foundation (Washington, D.C.)

Author(s): Milton R. Copulos

Research Area: Energy

Keywords: Energy and environment

Type: Report

Abstract:

After fueling the early stages of the Industrial Revolution the United States, the U.S. coal industry entered a prolonged period of decline. Following the Second World War, competition from cheaper oil and natural gas, widespread labor strife and growing concern over the environment combined to curtail sharply demand for America's most abundant resource. With the surge in world oil prices that began in the 1970s, though, "King Coal" gained a new lease on life. As a result, coal now promises to become one of America's most important export commodities.