Digging for Black Gold

While Americans have been transfixed by the spectacular rise in oil and natural gas prices and the fat profits of the oil giants, coal has quietly risen to prices not seen for nearly three decades.

Those buyers are probably on their way. Even with the price rise, coal remains far cheaper than natural gas. Several utilities now have coal-fired plants on the drawing board or in the works. And the federal government is doing its share to beat the drum. The Department of Energy has lined up several coal and utility companies to jointly invest with the federal government in a new “zero-emission” $950 million coal-fired power plant.

usnews