Why does the US export such a little amount of coal?
Coal competes as an energy source petroleum and natural gas. Coal also contains significantly less energy per ton (around 25 GJ/t) than either crude oil (43 GJ/t) or natural gas (48 GJ/t), so around 70% more weight of coal must be transported to deliver the same amount of energy. Economically, therefore, coal should be used as close to the mine as possible. It is much easier and cheaper to transport fluids over long distances than it is to transport coal. Coal in the USA is typically transported by barge or by rail as the most cost-effective method. The ability to export by barge or rail is severely limited for obvious reasons. Most exporting would have to be done by loading on a ship and then unloading at the foreign port, an additional cost. Since many foreign countries have their own coal, oil or gas, or can get them sources closer than the USA, our coal resources are unlikely to be exported in any quantity simply because the cost of delivered coal would be prohibitive compared to t
