Coal keeps US economy burning

[jpak]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5295922.stm

The United States is the world's most powerful economy, but much of that power is derived from rather old-fashioned sources.

More than half of the country's electricity is produced by burning coal, and as demand for energy increases, so does the pressure on those who supply it.

Mention to the average American that you're going to Wyoming, and they are as likely as anything to ask you why.

It is a fair question. Wyoming consists mostly of scrubby grassland or arid, tan-coloured mountains, and with just 500,000 people, it is the least populous state in the US.

<snip>

[acmejack]

1. People?

Some of them are Cheneys and Vincents, so the use of the term "people" is arguable.

[DeSwiss]

2. Also from the BBC article....

"But most of all, Wyoming has coal. Huge, thick, multi-layered seams of coal lie just a few metres below the surface. Most of it lies in the Powder River Coal Basin, that spans the border with Montana. And the Powder River Basin is providing America with a staggering one million tonnes of coal each day - about a quarter of all US coal production.

"It all boils down to what's cheap and reliable," says Lee Terry, Republican congressman for the town of Omaha, in neighbouring Nebraska. "That reliability means cost. Coal is very cheap, and so you're going to see a continued reliance."

In the long run, wind is still cheaper...

http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/mammoth-wind-farm-proposed-in-iowa/n20060831073809990021