The U.S. leads the world in recoverable coal resources, and within the United States, Montana reigns supreme with over 28% of the country's economically extractable coal resources.
According to the Unites States Geological Survey, the U.S. is home to roughly 1.7 trillion tons of identified coal resources. Of the total tonnage of coal identified in the U.S., 487 billion tons make up the demonstrated reserve base (DRB) and are considered potentially extractible. Broken down even further, an estimated 261 billion tons – about half the DRB – constitute the recoverable coal reserve base and are considered economically extractible coal resources.
Experts estimate that Montana's economically extractible coal resources amount to roughly 75 billion tons. Coal resources may or may not be economically extractable depending on variables such as the depth of the coal resources and mining technology.
So what exactly are recoverable coal resources? The term "recoverable coal resources" refers to the amount of coal that is technically and economically extractable.
Some constraints in mining coal include technological limitations as well as environmental regulations and geographical layout. The term "recoverable coal resources" takes all these factors into account and determines the portion of total coal resources is economically extractible.
In Carbon County, historical seat of Montana's coal mining industry, a large amount of high-quality coal resources have been deemed economically extractable. These recoverable and economically extractable coal resources are primed to carry on the region's coal mining tradition and stimulate economic growth and development.
Today, coal mining remains one of the top industries in Montana, and finding recoverable coal resources and having them be economically extractable is imperative to Montana's economy.
Fortunately, there are still billions of tons of coal throughout Montana and with new technologies and improved mining practices, these economically extractable coal resources are just waiting to be recovered.
