Mississippi’s Dependence on Imported Coal

In 2008, Mississippi relied on coal for 34.6% of its electricity generation, importing over 70% of that coal and spending $457 million out of state. The document argues that the state can reduce this dependence by investing in energy efficiency—noting that 2007 ratepayer-funded efficiency spending was 1,400 times lower per person than spending on imported coal—and by utilizing local renewable resources such as forestry by-products, switchgrass, solar, and geothermal energy.

• In 2008, coal accounted for 34.6% of Mississippi's electricity generation, with the state importing more than 70% of that coal, including sources from Wyoming and Colombia.
• Mississippi spent $457 million out of state to pay for coal imports. Compared to other states, Mississippi ranked 4th highest in spending on international imports ($145 million), 5th highest in net imports relative to gross state product (0.50 percent), and 12th highest in net imports per person ($155).
• There is a significant disparity between Mississippi's spending on imported coal and its investment in energy efficiency; in 2007, ratepayer-funded electricity efficiency programs received only 11 cents per person, which is approximately 1,400 times less than the per-person expenditure on imported coal.
• Reducing annual electricity use by 1% could save consumers $18 million and prevent up to $13 million from leaving the state in the first year. Additionally, the state's renewable energy resources could technically meet over 90% of its 2008 power demand.
• Potential local energy alternatives for Mississippi include forestry industry by-products, switchgrass, solar energy, small-scale hydropower, and geothermal energy co-produced from oil and gas drilling sites.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2010). Mississippi’s Dependence on Imported Coal. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/UCS-BCBC-factsheet-Mississippi.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Mississippi’s Dependence on Imported Coal. 2010. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/UCS-BCBC-factsheet-Mississippi.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Mississippi’s Dependence on Imported Coal |date=May 2010 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/UCS-BCBC-factsheet-Mississippi.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2010mississippis, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Mississippi’s Dependence on Imported Coal}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2010}, month = may, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/UCS-BCBC-factsheet-Mississippi.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }