US coal exports reach 5-year high

US coal exports climbed to a five-year high in April on trade with relatively new customers. Shipments rose to just under 11.1mn short tons (10.1mn metric tonnes) from 7.24mn st a year earlier, according to US Census Bureau data released today. The last time exports were higher was in March 2013, when they totaled 13.6mn […]

Hampton Roads coal exports inch back from recent highs

Coal exports out of Hampton Roads, Virginia, retreated from April’s four-year high last month but remained higher than 2017 levels. Terminals at the port handled 3.75mn short tons (3.4mn metric tonnes) of coal for export in May, the latest data from the Virginia Maritime Association show. That was down from 4.26mn st in April, but […]

Why shipping coal to Asia makes ecological sense

It may seem counterintuitive, but building the proposed coal-exporting shipping terminal, Millennium Bulk Terminals-Longview facility, can reduce global greenhouse gases by making U.S. coal readily available to Asia. The state Department of Ecology’s final environmental impact statement for the Millennium coal export facility validates this point. Unfortunately, the details were buried in the appendices, where […]

AG Fox Cheers Federal Ruling On West Coast Coal Terminal

Attorney General Tim Fox’s office is cheering a ruling by a federal judge yesterday. “This is a big win for supporters of coal exports,” Montana Department of Justice Spokesman Eric Sell says. Sell says a federal judge gave the go-ahead for a challenge to Washington State’s denial of permits for a coal export terminal. “There’s […]

China Considers More U.S. Coal Imports to Cut Deficit

China is considering a plan to buy more American coal as part of an effort to narrow its trade deficit with the U.S., according to people with knowledge of the matter. Chinese officials are currently looking at boosting purchases from West Virginia in particular, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they’re […]

California judge ruling opens Oakland port to coal shipping

Oakland city council cited health concerns in bid to ban coal shipments through port to Asia. A federal judge in San Francisco has striken down an Oakland City ban on shipping coal to Asia. The decision could be a boon to the coal industry in Carbon and Emery counties and to other coal producers in […]

Federal Judge Opens Door To Possible Mountain West Coal Exports

A U.S. district court judge has struck down the City of Oakland’s ban on transporting coal through a planned export terminal there. This could be big news for companies that want to ship their coal to key Asian markets. In his ruling, the judge said the City of Oakland didn’t provide enough evidence that moving […]

Coal demand abroad pulls Consol’s coal across five continents

Not only is India gobbling up the coal coming out of the ground at Consol Energy Inc.’s Pennsylvania Mining Complex, according to its head of coal marketing, but other countries are starting to clamber as well. “I think the Europeans are cognizant of what’s going on in Southeast Asia,” said James McCaffrey, who recently spent […]

American Farm Bureau takes on Washington over coal port

The national organization warns that blocking coals exports sets bad precedent for U.S. farmers The American Farm Bureau Federation has accused Washington of hijacking national trade and foreign policies by refusing to let Powder River Basin coal pass through the state on its way to Asia. The Farm Bureau, joined by other industry organizations, made […]