US coal production's rise and fall
Coal production in the U.S. peaked in 2008, then dropped quickly as competition from natural gas production surged. Most coal production on federal land is west of the Mississippi River. The chart stacks western production on top of eastern to show total U.S. coal production.
An area chart shows a large increase in western coal production starting in the 1970s while eastern coal production leveled off. The total of the two peaks in 2008, then swiftly declines. Production in 2021 was close to 1951 production.
