Chapter 2
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prevent erosion and runoff of water. As
trees make food, they give off oxygen that
we breathe.
Forests provide us withmany products as
well. From large trees, we get lumber for
building homes. Wood is also used tomake
many kinds of furniture. Some homes use
wood for heating and cooking.Wood can be
changed into other products such as paper.
Fossil Fuels
O
ur state has large deposits of natural
resources that aremined or pumped
from the earth. Among the best
known of these are our fossil fuels: coal,
natural gas, and oil. Notice that fossil fuels
come in three natural states— solid, liquid,
and gas! These fuels are used to produce
heat and power for homes, cars, and
industries. It takes very long to replace
fossil fuels. Because of this, they are a non-
renewable natural resource. Pennsylvania
produces all of its
energy
needs from its
natural resources. Energy is usable heat or
electricity for homes and industries. In fact,
Pennsylvania is the second-largest producer
of electricity in the United States. Our state
is the largest producer of fossil fuels in the
Northeast regionof theUnitedStates. Let us
find outmore about each fossil fuel.
COAL:
Almost one-third of Pennsylvania
has deposits of coal under the ground.
There are two main types of coal that are
removed from thegroundbymining.
Hard
coal
burns more slowly than
soft coal
.
Hard coal gives off lesspollutionand isused
to heat homes and buildings. Soft coal is
used tomake steel and produce electricity.
Our state is the only one in the United
States where hard coal is mined. Almost all
deposits of hard coal are located in the
mountains east of the Susquehanna River.
Much of thewesternAllegheny Plateau has
large deposits of soft coal underground.
Pennsylvania is the fourth-largest producer
of coal in the United States. Scientists say
there is enough coal under the soils of
Pennsylvania tomeet the fuel needs of our
country for the next 350 years!
OIL:
In 1859, the first successful oil well
was drilled in Pennsylvania. Until 1890,
Pennsylvania led the country in the
production of oil. Today, our state pumps
only a small amount of the total oil
produced in theUnited States.
After 1890, oil was discovered in other
A gas worker services an underground
pipeline. Natural gas causes less pollution
than other fossil fuels when it is burned.
