The United States is a net exporter of coal. However, some coal is still imported, mostly for power plants on the eastern and southern coasts of the country, where it is cheaper to ship in coal by sea from South America than transport it from mines in the northern and western United States.¹

In the third quarter of 2017, the U.S. exported 24.6 million short tons of coal (12.5% of total production)² to dozens of countries around the world; the largest markets were India (11.7% of all exports), the Netherlands (10.7%), and South Korea (10.6%).²

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed a comprehensive assessment of U.S. geothermal resources in 2008, summarized in the fact sheet Assessment of Moderate- and High-Temperature Geothermal Resources of the United States:

Energy Information Administration FAQs:

Energy Information Administration's FAQs:

Renewable energy sources provided 15% of U.S. electricity generation in 2016. Most of this was in the form of hydro and wind power.

The following image provides the amount of renewable energy, relative to other electricity sources, as well as a breakdown of the different sources of renewable energy.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that, in 2015, around 12% of world marketed (bought and sold) energy consumption came from renewable sources (biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, and wind).^[1] EIA projections suggest that this will increase to 17% by 2040.

Frac sand is a type of sand with small, uniform particles. It is injected into the rock formation along with the water used to fracture the rock in the process known as hydraulic fracturing ("fracking"). The sand is used to prop open the fractures that are created. Because the particles are uniform, fluids like water, oil, and gas are able to flow through the spaces between the particles.

U.S. Geological Survey FAQs:

"Of the 1.52 billion metric tons of copper discovered to date, 56% is found in just four countries on earth. All the copper discovered thus far would fit in a cube 550 meters on a side." 

Water flowing through active or abandoned mine sites can become polluted by the material being mined^[1]. By far the most common mine drainage problem is that of acid mine drainage (AMD). Sulfuric acid is produced when water interacts with sulfur-bearing materials in the presence of oxygen and common bacteria^[1].

U.S. Geological Survey FAQs:

"To maintain our standard of living, each person in the United States requires over 40,641 pounds of minerals each year: