Maintaining U.S. Inland Waterways / Debra Calhoun
Maintaining U.S. Inland Waterways: A Crucial Link in the Coal Transport System By Debra Calhoun, Senior Vice President, Waterways Council Inc.
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he link between the U.S. inland waterways system and the energy industry is intrinsic: in 2017 fully 20 percent of coal, 22 percent of petroleum products, and 6 percent of crude petroleum was transported on the inland waterways. As such, trends in these commodity shipments are watched closely by carriers and service providers who operate along this system.
A Tough Year for Coal
This year has been a difficult one for the U.S. coal market: shrinking exports, low
14 | COAL TRANSPORTER
gas prices, low demand for electricity from the mild winter, and COVID-19 and the related drop in GDP have all suppressed coal demand. High coal inventories present at the start of the year have only recently begun to be drawn down with the heat of the summer kicking in. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)’s July 7, 2020, report, U.S. coal consumption is expected to decrease by 28 percent in 2020 as a result of reductions in coal use for electricity generation—the result of both lower overall electricity
