There are enough coal resources in federally managed public lands across the United States to meet the country’s demand for at least 600 years at the current consumption rate, the Department of the Interior (DOI) said in a July 23 statement.
The assessment is based on a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report on coal resources in federal lands published on Thursday. According to the report, the conterminous United States has more than 355 billion short tons of available coal resources in federal lands. One short ton is equivalent to 2,000 pounds.
Alaska has an estimated 140 billion short tons and may have up to 5.5 trillion short tons when considering factors such as undiscovered resources. …