from coal. the fossil fuel is responsible for 32% of total u.s. energy production. half of all electricity is generated from coal. natural gas and nuclear power plants supply most of the rest. unlike the upper big branch mine, most of today s coal production comes from surface mines as opposed to underground mines. in fact, the fossil fuel is so readily available in this country that the u.s. is sometimes described as the saudi arabia of coal. we have from estimates 250 billion tons of reserves. it s the cheapest fuel source. it s the most abundant. west virginia leads the nation in underground coal production can w. coal found 53 of 55 counties. but in addition to firing power plants, coal also hires. the industry directly employs 134,000 people over 20% of them in west virginia. according to industry sources. in west virginia, on average, coal miners earn twice as much