POWDER
RIVER COAL COMPANY
GILLETTE, WYOMING
Powder River Coal Company in Gillette, Wyoming, is the second
largest coal producing company in the United States. Powder River
Coal Company owns and operates four surface mines in the Powder River Basin
of Wyoming. Together, the four mines control 2.5 billion tons
of recoverable coal. The coal seams at the four mines range from 65 feet to over
100 feet thick.
These mines produce coal with high Btu's, low sulfur, and low ash, which means that much
of the coal produced is compliant with the Clean
Air Act. When coal is burned to produce
electricity, the sulfur content combines with oxygen to make sulfur
dioxide. The greater the sulfur content of the coal, the greater
quantity of sulfur dioxide that is formed. When sulfur dioxide
is emitted into the atmosphere, it can become part of the chemical
cycle that produces acid rain. Because Powder River coal has such
a low sulphur content, it is in demand for use by electric power
companies all over the United States.
More coal is produced in the state of Wyoming than in any other
state in the United States. According to the Gillette, Wyoming
Convention and Visitor's Bureau, Wyoming's Powder
River Basin produces one-fifth of all
the coal produced in the United States annually. One of the reasons
is because of the low sulfur content of the coal found in the
Powder River Basin.
In the United States, coal adds $81 billion a year to the economy
and more than one million jobs for Americans. Coal is a major
industry and generates over 55 percent of America's electric power.
Coal is the power behind your electricity. Every time you turn
on a light or turn on your computer, it is possible that you are
using coal, maybe even Powder River Coal.
How is COAL FORMED?
What are the TYPES OF COAL?
How does Powder River Coal Company MINE
THE COAL?
What kind of EQUIPMENT does Powder River Coal Company use to mine the
coal?
What kind of CAREERS
are there in the surface coal mining business?
Learn about the ENVIRONMENTAL
ISSUES of coal mining, including the
Clean Air Act and the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act.
Visit Powder River Coal Company's coal mines:
Credits