US coal production this year could drop to a low not seen in almost 20 years, the US Energy Information Administration said Tuesday in its Short-Term Energy Outlook for April. EIA predicts US coal production will now total 926 million st in 2015, down 17 million st from its estimate last month, as both domestic demand and exports continue to decline. If the EIA’s estimate holds, it would be the lowest annual total for US coal production since 1987, when 918.8 million st was produced. In 2016, the agency predicts US coal production will rise to 941.4 million st, down 10 million st from its last estimate, made in March. In 2014, US coal production totaled 996.7 million st. A rise in the use of natural gas in electricity generation during the first few months of the year will lead to less coal consumption by utilities in 2015, the […]