There isn’t much for the coal industry to cheer in the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Energy Outlook for 2014.
A report presented in Washington on Monday (Dec. 16) by EIA Administrator Adam Sieminski, cites the domestic production of natural gas, especially from the Marcellus Shale, a “remarkable development” that’s likely to continue into next year and beyond.
Sieminski says the Marcellus is now producing more than 13-billion cubic feet of natural gas daily, compared to two-billion in 2010.
Sieminski says natural gas is likely to overtake coal in about 20 years as the nation’s primary source of electricity.
“This is again, based on current regulation and it’s very possible that we might see less coal and more natural gas replacing that coal as we move out over time.” –Adam Sieminski
A small part of the Marcellus rock formation includes Kentucky. Much of it runs through Pennsylvania and Ohio.
