Coal-Fired Power Plant Emissions

I. Pollutants from Coal

Sulfur dioxide is a toxic gas that is emitted when fuels containing sulfur, including coal, are burned. Between 1997 and 2017, coal-fired power plants were responsible for 90 percent of all sulfur dioxide emissions generated by the United States power industry. Historically, most coal in the United States was mined in subsurface mines in the Appalachian region. The coal from this region is energy-rich but also has a high sulfur content. This means that when this coal is...