Why does pennsylvania use coal

Reclaim Act. Oil and Gas activities are happing in communities across Pennsylvania. Explore this interactive map to see how far dangerous drilling activities are from your neighborhood.

Learn More. Pennsylvania is the only drilling state without a severance tax, yet its natural gas industry is highly profitable and in one of the richest sources of shale gas in the world.

In addition, Pennsylvania has allowed its clean energy and energy efficiency industries to stagnate, even though each was once a national leader in job creation and growth. Expanded shipments of crude oil by rail have created significant risks for our communities and our environment.

We have already seen disasters occur, including derailments in West Virginia, Oregon and Texas, and an explosion in Quebec that killed 47 people. These disasters have led to little meaningful improvements to rail safety.

PennFuture is helping communities protect the health and safety of residents. The gas industry has deep pockets and powerful influence with our elected officials. We Need Your Help! Please Donate Now and help us continue the fight to protect Pennsylvania communities. Home Dirty Energy. Overview Challenges Solutions Take Action. Natural Gas The rapid growth of the natural gas industry in Pennsylvania has been staggering. In the summer, drivers in the Pittsburgh area must use motor gasoline that has lower evaporative emissions.

Pennsylvania is the third-largest producer of electricity in the nation and sends the most electricity to other states. Pennsylvania is the third-largest producer of electricity in the nation. Only Texas and Florida generate more. Coal-fired power plants were the third-largest providers of in-state electricity.

About one in four Pennsylvania households use electricity as their primary heating source. Many of Pennsylvania's coal-fired power plants have retired with the increased availability of competitively priced natural gas.

During the same period, more than 9, megawatts of natural gas-fired capacity came online. Natural gas has also accounted for almost all the generating capacity added in the state since Pennsylvania ranks second in the nation, after Illinois, in nuclear power generating capacity. The state's four nuclear power plants provided one-third of the state's electricity net generation in The Unit 1 reactor at the Three Mile Island plant was shut down permanently in September because it was unprofitable.

That accident led to sweeping changes in U. Renewables—mainly wind energy, hydropower, and biomass—provide most of state's remaining net generation. In , wind energy became Pennsylvania's largest renewable resource for electricity generation, exceeding hydropower.

Wind energy was the state's largest renewable source for electricity generation and provided about two-fifths of the state's renewable electricity in Two large wind farms, each with generating capacities of 80 megawatts, are scheduled to come online in and Hydropower accounted for more than one-third of Pennsylvania's renewable generation in The state's conventional hydroelectric facilities are, on average, about 60 years old, but some of them have been updated and expanded.

Pennsylvania ranks among the top dozen states in the amount of electricity generated by biomass resources, and biomass-fueled facilities accounted for about one-fifth of the state's renewable generation in These energy efficiency measures include helping customers to install solar and geothermal technologies, insulate buildings, and upgrade appliances.

Endnotes 1 U. EIA, Top U. Protect clean air, clean water, and public health and conserve working farms, forests, and natural lands. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Please enable scripts and reload this page. An Official Pennsylvania Government Website. Department of Environmental Protection. Report an Emergency. Environmental Complaints. Regional Resources. Public Records. Contact DEP. Page Content. Anthracite Coal Anthracite coal is often described in layman's terms as 'hard coal' and while it is heavily metamorphosed and almost pure carbon, it is no harder or softer than bituminous, or 'soft' coal.

Bituminous Coal Bituminous mining operations are active in 21 counties in the southwest region of Pennsylvania and is the most abundant coal found in our state. Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation. Bureau of District Mining Operations. Bureau of Mine Safety. Bureau of Mining Programs. Mine Subsidence Insurance. Stay Out Stay Alive. PA Mining History.