Peak coal the US has declined as mining shifts to coals of lower rank. Although the tonnage of coal mined in the United States reached its latest peak in 2008, the peak in terms of coal energy content occurred in 1998, at 598 Millions of metric tons of oil equivalent (Mtoe); by 2005 this had fallen to 576 Mtoe, or about 4% lower. Australia has substantial coal resources, mostly brown coal. It is responsible for almost 40% of global coal exports worldwide, and much of its current electricity is generated from coal-fired power stations. There are tentative plans to very slowly phase
Coal Palace red mortar. Vitric coal was also used to spell "Coal Palace" above the main entrance. Sioux City architect Charles P. Brown was contracted to design the Coal Palace; he had previously designed the first Corn Palace in Sioux City and was at the time planning the second. Born in Salem, Massachusetts, Brown moved to Sioux City in 1886 and had designed much of its downtown. Brown recognized the inherent medieval quality of walls covered in uncut coal and capitalized on this theme by adding turrets, crenellated walls, and spired roofs. Ten flags with the names of the ten coal-donating counties