Known as the most abundant fossil fuel in the United States, coal is a combustible sedimentary rock made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Because it takes millions of years to form, coal is a nonrenewable energy source.

The energy found in coal

came from

the energy stored by plants many years ago.

Although coal has many benefits, it also has many disadvantages. Today, coal is one of the leading sources of energy for the world. However, we do not know what the future may bring. Scientists and researchers are planning to create ways to help make coal safer for our world.
Presently, we are able to obtain coal through a process called “coal mining”. The two methods of mining used today are known as underground and surface mining. Surface mining is more commonly practiced because it is less expensive than underground mining. Large machines remove top layers or rock and soil to expose the coal underneath. Underground mining is used to mine coal thousands of feet below the surface.

After the coal is extracted from the Earth's crust, it goes through a process that removes ash, sulfur, rock and most important, carbon dioxide. This process is extremely controversial in today’s world because of global warming issues. When the carbon dioxide is removed from coal it is released into the atmosphere; producing a dangerously high level of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Today, coal is used for electric power, industry purposes, steel production, and export purposes. Most of the United States coal comes from the Appalachian Coal Region, the Interior Coal Region, and the Western Coal Region. Coal effects the environment because the mining process has the potential to destroy land, pollute water, and damage the atmosphere. Today, with modern technologies, we are trying to prevent such damage to our Earth and preserve a healthy, safe environment by restoring surface mining lands, preventing damage to water resources, reducing carbon dioxide, sulfur gases, nitrogen oxide, and mercury emissions.

Many people are familiar with the global warming problem, but some may not know that much of the carbon dioxide comes from the large carbon content in our world’s coal. Future plans to help prevent these problems include the use of equipment to remove most of the polluting elements from coal smoke by using filters called precipitators. By using precipitators, a chemical called flue gas will attract ash (and other unwanted material) and then be removed to then be disposed of it a safe way. Instead of releasing dirty smoke, coal plants would release a steam-like material. Because sulfur is a component found in coal, sulfur emissions concern many due to its environmentally dangerous properties as a respiratory irritant and producer of acid rarin In the future, the use of low sulfur coals would help make coal a safer energy resource. Others feel a significant financial charge on carbon emissions would help increase awareness of this problem, and perhaps facilitate a logical response to this pollution problem. Lastly, in order to keep our environment safe from all pollutants spewing from coal, one of our greatest energy resources, changes need to be made to the current Department of Energy.