Fossil Fuels

Next, is Subbituminous a scale up from Lignite, it gives off just a little bit more energy when burned. After that there is Bituminous, which again gives off a little more energy than Subbituminous. Lastly there is Anthracite. This coal gives off the most energy when burned. This is also the most rare of the four kinds of coal. .
             Another very valuable fuel that we have is natural gas. "It is the ideal fossil fuel. It is easy to transport, clean, and easy to use"(Fossil Energy Gas 3). Natural gas is mainly made up of the chemical called methane. Methane is a colorless, odorless gas that is the most simple of the hydrocarbons formed naturally from the decay of organic matter. Natural gas provides one-fifth of all the energy used in the United States. It is especially important in homes. It is used for cooking, heating, and other household appliances. The U.S. is looking for a lot more ways to use natural gas, largely because it is easy to pipe from one location to another and because it burns so cleanly, causing very little air pollution.
             Natural gas is drilled all over the United States. It can be found in a variety of different underground formations, including; shale formations, sandstone beds, coral seams, and deep salt water aquifers. Some of these formations are more difficult and more expensive to produce than others, but they hold potential for vastly increasing the nation's gas supply. Similar to oil production, some natural gas flows freely to wells because the natural pressure of the underground reservoir forces the gas through the reservoir rocks. Only a small number of these free flowing reservoirs still exist in the United States today. So new wells have to be drilled and new undiscovered natural gas has to be detected. This method is very hard to do because no one knows exactly how far down to drill, or even if they are drilling in the right spot. This last method proves to be very expensive and a lot more time consuming than running into natural wells.