Burning Coal, Burning Cash

The report identifies 38 U.S. states as net importers of coal in 2008, with 11 states spending over $1 billion each on these imports. It highlights a growing dependence on coal from Wyoming and international sources, particularly in the Southeast and Midwest. The authors argue that states can mitigate these economic losses and environmental damages by investing in energy efficiency and homegrown renewables.

• In 2008, 38 U.S. states were net importers of coal, with 11 of these states spending more than $1 billion on net coal imports.
• Wyoming has become the dominant supplier of U.S. coal, providing 40 percent of total production in 2008, an increase from 18 percent in 1990.
• Georgia is identified as the most dependent state across multiple metrics, ranking in the top 10 for all six categories of coal import dependence, including spending the most on total net imports at $2.62 billion in 2008.
• International coal imports more than tripled between 1999 and 2008, with 16 states purchasing coal from overseas in 2008, spending over $1.8 billion for 25.4 million tons.
• Colombia is the primary international source of coal for the U.S., providing more than 80 percent of these supplies.
• Southern Company is the most coal-import-dependent power provider in the U.S., paying nearly $4.2 billion in 2008 for coal from outside its states.
• Energy efficiency programs can reduce electricity demand at costs between 2.5 and 4 cents per kWh, which is significantly lower than the average retail cost of electricity in the most coal-dependent states (6.6 to 17.8 cents per kWh).
• Many coal-dependent states invest very little in energy efficiency compared to their coal spending; for example, Georgia spent 540 times more on ratepayer-funded coal imports than on ratepayer-funded electricity efficiency measures.
• Coal-fired power plants are the largest source of carbon dioxide in the U.S., emitting nearly one-third of all energy-related CO2 emissions.
• A National Research Council study found that U.S. coal plants caused $62 billion in damages in 2005, primarily due to heart and lung disease from emissions.

APA

Deyette, J., & Freese, B. (2010). Burning Coal, Burning Cash. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Burning-Coal-Burning-Cash_full-report.pdf

Chicago

Deyette, Jeff, and Barbara Freese. Burning Coal, Burning Cash. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2010. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Burning-Coal-Burning-Cash_full-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Deyette |first1=Jeff |last2=Freese |first2=Barbara |title=Burning Coal, Burning Cash |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=May 2010 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Burning-Coal-Burning-Cash_full-report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{deyette2010burning, author = {Deyette, Jeff and Freese, Barbara}, title = {{Burning Coal, Burning Cash}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2010}, month = may, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Burning-Coal-Burning-Cash_full-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }