West Virginia and Kentucky are coal country. That’s going to be a challenge for them now that the Environmental Protection Agency has issued proposed rules limiting carbon output from existing coal-fired plants.
More than 90 percent of the electricity in both states comes from coal, according to data collected by the Energy Information Administration. More than 80 percent of the electricity generated in Wyoming, Indiana and Missouri comes from coal, too. In all, 19 states get more than half their electricity from coal-fired plants.
Here’s a look at how much each state relies on coal for electricity, courtesy The Post’s Philip Bump and the EIA:
Coastal states are far less likely to rely on coal. California, Maine, Washington, Oregon, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut all rely on coal for less than 10 percent of their electricity.
Idaho will be the least affected: The Gem State doesn’t get a single watt of power from coal. The EIA says Idahoans rely on renewable energy sources, mostly from hydroelectric power, for 78 percent of their electricity; the rest comes from natural gas.
