what are the hindrances to export?
logistics? facilities? legal?
Slower growth in world coal demand, lower international coal prices, and higher coal output in other coal-exporting countries have led to a two-year decline in U.S. coal exports. EIA projects coal exports will fall by 10 MMst, to 87 MMst, in 2015, but coal exports are expected to increase slightly in 2016. U.S. coal imports, which increased by more than 2 MMst in 2014 to 11 MMst, are expected to remain near that level over the next two years.
SHORT-TERM ENERGY OUTLOOK
http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/steo/report/coal.cfm
July 7, 2015
We already export a lot of coal, so increasing the amount shouldn’t be a problem.
Barry wouldn’t object, would he?
He cares about jobs, right?
:-)
Ironically, we also import coal.
Our coal exports have been falling.
http://www.eia.gov/coal/production/quarterly/
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First quarter 2015 U.S. coal exports (22.0 million short tons) dropped 1.3% from fourth quarter 2014 and dropped 20.3% from first quarter 2014. Coal exports have declined for eight quarters in a row. The average price of U.S. coal exports during the first quarter 2015 was $82.31 per short ton.
The United States continued to import coal primarily from Colombia (76.4%), Indonesia (16.2%), and Canada (5.7%). U.S. coal imports in first quarter 2015 increased to 3.0 million short tons from 2.2 million short tons in fourth quarter 2014. The average price of U.S. coal imports during the first quarter 2015 was $69.95 per short ton, the lowest price in five years.