Coal's Future Is Rocky at Best

摘要

Is coal doomed? The dirty yet abundant energy source has had some rough patches before, but nothing like this. In 1985 coal accounted for 57 percent of all power generated in the U.S. Last year it was 42 percent. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates it will fall to 40 percent this year. Prices for Appalachian coal are down 24 percent over the past 12 months; for coal from the Powder River Basin in Montana and Wyoming, they're down 45 percent. "With the prices you're looking at now, no one can make money," says Lucas Pipes, an analyst at Brean Murray, Carret.