Treehugger.com (yes, it's real) has an interesting article on the real cost of coal. Among many interesting tid-bits is this:

"Many Americans think that coal went out with top hats and corsets. In fact, we burn more than a billion tons of coal each year in the United States -- about 20 pounds a day for every man, woman and child."

That's an astonishing fact if it's true.

Full article here.