Surface mining is used when coal is found close to the surface or on hillsides. It involves removing the topsoil and subsoil and setting them aside while the coal is removed.

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Anthracite is a type of coal that has the highest carbon content and the lowest moisture and ash content. Anthracite burns slowly and makes a good heating fuel for homes. The United States has about 7.3 billion tons of anthracite, most of which can be found in Pennsylvania.

Bituminous is a type of coal that contains very little moisture and has high heat value. It is used to generate electricity and to produce coke, a coal residue used in the steel industry. Bituminous coal is the most plentiful type in the United States.

Btu is an abbreviation for British thermal unit, the standard for measuring the energy required to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit.

The Clean Air Act is a strict air pollution control law that was passed in 1970.

The CCT program refers to a number of technological advances that make the burning process of coal cleaner by removing pollutants such as sulfur, nitrogen, and fly ash that can contaminate the air and water.

Coal is a burnable carbonaceous rock that contains large amounts of carbon. Coal is also a fossil fuel—a substance that contains the remains of plants and animals and that can be burned to release energy. Coal contains other elements such as hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen; has various amounts of minerals; and is itself considered to be a mineral of [..]

Coal gasification is the process that changes coal into a gas that has the same heating value as natural gas and that is cleaner than burning coal itself.

Coke is a substance made by heating coal to very high temperatures. Coke is used in the iron and steel industry.