
Coal and the environment - U.S. Energy
Effects of coal mining. Surface mines (sometimes called strip mines) were the source of about 63% of the coal mined in the United States in 2018. These mining operations remove the soil and rock above coal deposits, or seams. The largest surface mines in the United States are in Wyoming's Powder River Basin, where coal deposits are close to the surface and are up to 70 feet thick. Mountaintop
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