Coal: A Diminishing Hope for America's Energy Needs

Although reserves constitute more than 80% of US domestic energy fossil fuel resources, coal currently supplies only about 19% of US energy consumption, with forecasts of 25% by 1990. The increasing and uncertain morass of government regulation has dimmed coal's bright future. An examination is conducted of the implications of major regulatory policies for the nation's most abundant natural resource. With a careful acquisition strategy started about 15 years ago, the oil companies are in control of much of the US' coal resources and production. Factors contributing to this phenomenon include the high costs and complexities associated with the federal strip-mine law, leasing laws, and the Clean Air Amendments Act of 1977. An analysis of these laws indicates that there are no easy answers for clearing away excess federal, state, and local regulation, which hampers coal development. The solution lies in establishing some unified, stable set of fair and equitable laws.