task. One is the naïve assumption that we are currently living in the age of oil, or even post-oil, and that coal fumes are … a thing of the past. Quite the reverse! This is still the age of coal and much of what we associate with oil rests upon … the foundations of coal. We must also overturn the conjecture that global carbonization started in Western Europe and then …

Coal consumption and production have sharply declined in recent years in the U.S., despite political support. Reasons … are mostly unfavorable economic conditions for coal, including competition from natural gas and renewables in the power … sector, as well as an aging coal- fired power plant fleet. The U.S. Energy Information Administration as well as most models …