The disproportionate impacts of energy costs on lower-income and minority families

Given the state of our economy today, you may feel as if you’re being hit from all sides—and the figures show it. A new study found that American families faced the biggest-ever increase in energy costs in 2008. Among the conclusions:

As you might imagine, higher energy costs make it difficult for all of us to pay for other necessities, including food and healthcare.

There may not be a perfect solution to this problem, but there are ways we can maintain affordable energy costs. One of them is using low-cost energy resources like American coal. After all, generating electricity from coal is 33% cheaper than most other fuels.

View a summary of the study below for yourself and learn where your electricity comes from. Then, join us in supporting investments in our most abundant energy resource as a means to create an affordable and clean energy future for all.

Note: The study, which relies on data from the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Bureau of the Census, was conducted by Gene Trisko, an environmental attorney and energy economist who represents labor and industry clients. He previously served as an attorney in the Bureau of Consumer Protection of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.