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Section: data resources
Weekly Coal Transport Report FAQ (US)
Questions
What
does the data represent?
What
is the source for this data?
How
did Genscape validate the accuracy of this data?
Does
Genscape also provide stockpile information?
How
do you define census regions?
How
do you define coal basins?
What
do the shipments to export terminals figures tell me?
What
do the shipments to industrial plants tell me?
1. What does the data represent?
The data shows shipments of coal from origins and to destinations in
the United States. It does NOT contain shipments by barge, truck or
conveyor belt.
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2. What is the source for this data?
The data is derived from waybill information supplied by shippers to
a central database. Every multi-railroad journey, and most single railroad
journeys are reflected in the database. The waybill information contains
origins and destinations, which Genscape has matched to mines and plants.
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3. How did Genscape validate the accuracy of this data?
We compared the totals shipped by source and destination to the data
supplied to the Energy Information Administration and the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission on form 423. The only power plants that are shown
in the Coal Delivery Report are ones for which we have found a consistent
agreement between the numbers we calculate from the waybill data and
the form 423 numbers. For origins, Genscape compared its totals by state
to data from form 423. For states that use exclusively rail shipment
from their mines (Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana), the data matched
fairly closely. The form 423 data is usually higher because of some
mine-mouth plants that use conveyor belts. For other coal producing
states where trucking and barging play a role, the Genscape data represents
a fairly stable portion of the form 423 total. Genscape performed a
similar analysis by basin and found similar results.
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4. Does Genscape also provide stockpile information?
For plants that are monitored by Genscape, and for which Genscape has
coal delivery data, we will eventually provide stockpile information.
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5. How do you define census regions?
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6. How do you define coal basins?
Central Appalachian Region. Consists of Eastern Kentucky, Virginia,
Southern West Virginia, and the Tennessee counties of: Anderson, Campbell,
Claiborne, Cumberland, Fentress, Morgan, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Roane,
and Scott.
Northern Appalachian Region. Consists of Maryland, Pennsylvania
Bituminous, and Northern West Virginia.
Southern Appalachian Region. Consists of Alabama, and the Tennessee
counties of: Bledsoe, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Hamilton, Marion,
Rhea, Sequatchie, Van Buren, Warren, and White.
Interior Region (with Gulf Coast). Consists of Arkansas, Illinois,
Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas,
and Western Kentucky.
Illinois Basin. Consists of Illinois, Indiana, and Western Kentucky.
Powder River Basin. Consists of the Montana counties of Big
Horn, Custer, Powder River, Rosebud, and Treasure, and the Wyoming counties
of Campbell, Converse, Crook, Johnson, Natrona, Niobrara, Sheridan,
and Weston.
Uinta Basin. Consists of the Colorado counties of Delta, Garfield,
Gunnison, Mesa, Moffat, Pitkin, Rio Blanco, Routt, and the Utah counties
of Carbon, Duchesne, Emery, Grand, Sanpete, Sevier, Uintah, Utah,
and Wasatch.
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7. What do the shipments to export terminals figures tell me?
Genscape has found a statistically significant correlation between
rail shipments of coal to export terminals and coal export data provided
by the US Department of Commerce. The data does not match ton per ton
because much of the export coal moves by barge.
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8.What do the shipments to industrial plants tell me?
Genscape has found a statistically significant correlation between
total rail shipments to steel plants and steel production figures supplied
by the US Federal Reserve.
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