Here’s a story you don’t hear about much:

With nearly a quarter of the world’s coal supply — enough to last centuries — the United States has been dubbed the "Saudi Arabia of Coal" by US officials and energy experts.

Help Grist raise $25,000 by September 30 to further advance our climate reporting

But thanks to growing global coal markets and clean air regulations, the US is witnessing a latter-day equivalent of "carrying coals to Newcastle" — a 230 percent leap in coal imports to the US since 1999.

…

Grist thanks its sponsors. Become one.

To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist. Here's How

If present trends continue, the US will be a net importer of coal by 2013, according to the Energy Information Administration of the US Department of Energy.

The more you hear about coal, the better it gets!