Effect of US Coal Exports on Domestic Economic Growth and on US National Security

摘要

This document reports an investigation of possible US policies designed to increase US coal exports and the international coal trade; to benefit the US economy by increasing coal mining and transportation; and to improve the US strategic position by decreasing the dependence of our allies and less developed countries on oil and gas from OPEC and Communist countries. The study considered only situations in which coal replaces imported oil or natural gas in the period 1983-2000. In 1982 US coal exports to countries other than Canada totaled 88 million tons. The total employment generated by these exports is estimated at about 150,000 jobs with income of 3.8 billion dollars. The United States will participate in any increase in the world coal trade, so policies that encourage substitution of imported coal for imported oil or natural gas will benefit US coal exports. Such policies also will benefit the US strategic position by decreasing the influence of OPEC and Communist countries on importers of oil. The report considers policies applicable to (a) developed nations of the world that lack sufficient coal resources of their own, (b) the developing nations that have adequate coal reserves that can be developed, and (c) the developing nations that do not have sufficient indigenous coal. Nations are listed for each category, and policies are presented for a case study country in each category. Among the most important policies are the expediting of r and d leading to economical methods of burning coal-oil and coal-water slurries and methods of fluidized bed combustion to control pollution. Other important policies are those which persuade potential coal importing countries that the United States has a firm national policy to encourage coal consumption and will continue to export coal to nations who need it. (ERA citation 09:030153)