The rise of gas is creating new milestones. The latest EIA data confirms that US natural gas production will produce more energy than US coal in 2011. www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/pdf/sec1_5.pdf.
This is a notable change, since coal for nearly 30 years had produced more energy measured in BTUS than gas.
In 2010, coal and gas were essentially tied, though EIA data had gas producing a tiny bit more in that year. This year will break the tie.
While the US produces domestically more energy from coal and natural gas than oil, when imports are included, oil remains the fuel of which America consumes more than any other. Oil, Gas, Coal, Renewables, and Nuclear in that order are the fuel on which America runs.