The coal industry - once synonymous with manual labor and harsh conditions - has been transformed into a high-tech business, that uses sophisticated machinery, computers and equipment. Technology has made the process of coal extraction, movement and combustion more efficient, productive, safe and environmentally friendly. Computers, lasers, global positioning systems, satellites and many other modern high-tech devices are a routine part of coal mining, transportation and use today. These advances have provided the means for dramatic improvements in key areas of worker health and safety as well as mine productivity, demonstrating the adage that "a safe industry is a productive industry."

The electric utility industry, which uses coal to generate over half the nation's electricity each year, has worked hard to provide its customers with clean, low-cost and reliable power. In a joint partnership between government and industry, new, innovative technologies that promote the cleanest, most efficient use of coal while dramatically reducing the environmental impacts historically associated with its use have been developed and deployed. In turn, innovation has led to greater efficiencies in coal transportation, which ensure the safe delivery of coal at competitive prices.

Perhaps most importantly, modern technology has allowed America's increasingly electrified economy to greatly expand its reliance on this abundant, domestic resource while simultaneously meeting the nation's environmental protection priorities.