Happy facts about Kentucky coal

Did you know?

    • Kentucky coal is a $5.3 billion dollar industry, producing 112.9 million tons per year.

    • There are more than 18,000 coal mining jobs in Kentucky, and each one supports three other Kentucky coal company workers.

    • Starting salaries for miners in rural Kentucky range from $65,000 to $70,000.

    • Kentucky produces the third most amount of coal in the nation and 94% of it goes toward electric power plants.

As a result of these happy facts, Kentucky consistently enjoys one of the lowest electricity costs per kWh in the nation. However, that could change very quickly if the US Court of Appeals upholds sweeping new Environmental Protection Agency regulations. Kentucky and 15 other states are suing the EPA for enacting pollution rules in breach of the Clean Air Act.

According to Kentucky Coal Association President, Bill Bissett, the source of much of anti-coal sentiment comes from a lack of understanding of how important coal is to Kentucky:

“If you buy a Chevrolet Volt electric hybrid car, 92 of every 100 miles you travel in Kentucky are powered by coal, 92 of 100 emails, and 92 of 100 cell phone calls are powered by coal. The ‘black rock’ is providing the power to record this interview. Kentuckians don’t realize how important coal-fired power plants are in their daily life.”