Assignments:

Unfinished Assignment Study Questions for Lesson 60

Lesson Objectives:

- Coal as an energy source
- Dangers of coal mining and production



China is the world's largest producer and consumer of coal. Coal fuels 70% of its electricity.

In the United States, coal fuels 45% of electricity. Coal is transported to large power plants after being mined.

Mining practices removed mountaintops to gain access to low-sulfur coal beneath. The Obama administration took action to reduce and control mountaintop-removal mining using regulatory control via the EPA.



Mining coal can be dangerous both for the miners as well as the local environment. It has also been very polluting, costing $100 billion in healthcare costs. Coal mining and production creates ash containing sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides that contaminate the air.

The EPA invoked the Clean Air Act's "good neighbor rule" to prohibit downwind pollution. Coal combustion creates carbon dioxide, which is the greenhouse gas most responsible for climate change.