GEOGRAPHIC CONSIDERATIONS

Which U.S. regions and states are the largest coal producers?

In the United States, coal is mainly found in three regions: the Appalachian coal region, the Interior coal region, and the Western coal region (which includes the Powder River Basin).[1]

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration [2]

These five states accounted for 71% of U.S. coal production in 2020:

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration [3]

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration [4]

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the two largest coal mines in the U.S. are the North Antelope Rochelle and Black Thunder mines in Wyoming, which together produced 22% of the total U.S. coal production in 2020. The North Antelope Rochelle mine alone produced almost the same amount of coal as the entire state of West Virginia, the second largest coal-producing state. [5]

This table shows U.S. coal production, by state and region, up to June 2022:

(Thousand short tons)

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration [6]

Which U.S. Coal Power Plants Are the Top Emitters?

Based on EPA and EIA data, E&E News compiled a 2022 list of the top ten emitting power plants in America. All are coal burning plants. Four of the top ten are in Texas and none of the Texas plants have announced a retirement date. For details on these and other top emitters, click the footnote link below.

• The James H. Miller Jr. Electric Generating Plant in Alabama
• The Labadie coal plant outside St. Louis, Missouri
• The Monroe plant in southeastern Michigan
• The W.A. Parish Generating Station in Texas
• The Martin Lake plant in Texas
• The Gen. James M. Gavin Power Plant in Cheshire, Ohio
• The Oak Grove plant in Texas
• The Prairie State Energy Campus in Illinois
• The John E. Amos Power plant in West Virginia
• The Sam Seymour Power Plant (aka Fayette Power Project) in Texas [6]

Updated November 2022 by Tina Allen