How big is the coal industry?
Coal represents just a sliver of the American economy. At its peak, in 1923, coal employed 883,000 workers. Today, about 53,000 people work in coal mining—less than the number of people who work at nail salons, bowling alleys, or Arby’s. The decline of coal has been precipitous: In 2010, the U.S. had 580 coal-fired power plants providing 45 percent of the nation’s electricity generation. Today, there are fewer than 350 coal plants responsible for about 30 percent of the country’s electricity. Nevertheless, coal continues to have an outsize environmental and political impact. Coal is the country’s leading source of carbon emissions that contribute to climate change. The American Lung Association believes that the effects of coal pollution kill about 7,500 Americans every year. Burning coal releases fine particulates into the air—tiny particles and liquid droplets of toxic substances such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, mercury, lead, and other heavy metals. Inhaled, they contribute to respiratory conditions like asthma, heart problems, and cancer. These same airborne pollutants also settle in the oceans, which is why coal is a leading contributor of toxic mercury in seafood. “There’s no reason to think the fortunes of the coal industry are going to change anytime in the future,” said Noah Kaufman of Columbia University. “Coal is an industry in decline.”