WVU Study Shows American Coal Industry Generates $261 Billion in Economic Activity, 381,000 Jobs -

“The study, conducted by the West Virginia University Bureau for Business and Economics Research, shows that the mining industry alone spends more than $10.6 billion on wages nationally and coal operators generated approximately $43.5 billion in economic activity in 2021.”

Why this is important: A new study by the West Virginia University Bureau for Business and Economics Research (“BBER”) finds coal mining and its use generates $261 billion in economic impact and 381,000 jobs throughout the U.S. The mining itself produces $10.6 billion in wages and in 2021, U.S. coal-fired electrical plants produced 899 million MWs of electricity. The leading coal producing states produced 527 million tons last year and in order of production are: WY (239.2 mt); WV (78.6 mt), PA (42.4 mt), IL (36.8 mt), MT (28.6 mt), KY (26.6 mt), ND (26.5 mt), IN (19.5 mt), TX (17.3 mt), and UT (12.3 mt). With the Ukraine invasion and turmoil in U.S. energy markets, coal has seen dramatic increases in use and sale prices this year.