As the U.S. uses more coal - an abundant and affordable resource used to produce more than 40 percent of U.S. electricity - air quality is improving every day. Since 1970, key emissions rates from U.S. coal plants have decreased 90 percent while related coal use has increased 170 percent. Significant progress has been made since 1970. From 1970 to 2005, U.S. coal plants achieved a dramatic reduction in key emissions rates (Figure 1). Such reductions were achieved through installation of flue-gas desul-furization devices ("scrubbers"), par-ticulate controls such as baghouses or electrostatic precipitators and through switching to lower sulfur coals (e.g. Powder River Basin coal). The annual emissions rate reduction over this period was 4.1 percent CAGR or a 77 percent reduction since 1970.
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