Coal is the most reliable source of energy for our future.
Texas is growing. The Texas housing industry has come to be the fastest, and most continuously growing in the country. Every day thousands of people become new Texas residents, and in turn every day we turn on more lights, use more refrigeration, recharge more phones and iPods or spend more energy on Hi-Def television. Texas is currently our nation’s largest consumer of coal energy, and as our state continues to grow and prosper, so will our need for electricity.
Luckily, our nation’s secure, indigenous supply of coal represents a quarter of the world’s coal reserves. If responsibly processed, coal could fuel our global electricity needs for approximately 200 more years.
Nationally, the United States is investing in new technology to produce coal-derived energy with a significantly reduced environmental impact. Texas is a key player in the development and demonstration of these projects’ efficacy for commercial use.
Domestic Energy Resources
The overwhelming abundance of coal on American soil if properly utilized thorough tried and tested technology can produce enough energy for the next 15 generations. What’s more, America and America alone can dictate how this precious energy source is mined, processed and sold. We have no obligation to comply with foreign nations’ demands to access this energy, making coal a far more secure resource than foreign oil and gas reserves.
Less Volatile than Natural Gas
The
cost of coal-derived energy is substantially lower than the cost to create energy from natural gas resources. Based on economic supply and demand and federal government policies, there is a fundamental imbalance for the practical use of natural gas. Demand for natural gas energy increases as supplies are limited by government sanctions due to the potentially negative impact of hydraulic fracturing. Comparatively, coal provides ample energy with a stable price that remains relatively constant and easily accessible for consumers.
More reliable than current renewable portfolio
Coal is also infinitely more abundant than the entire current combined renewable energy portfolio. Texas’ renewable energy portfolio was signed into law in 2005, designating that 5 percent of Texas’ projected electricity demands be met by renewable sources. The combined portfolio, consisting primarily of wind, nuclear and hydro resources, generates less than half the electricity provided by coal.
