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Chapter Five COAL AND THE ENVIRONMENT F or some people, coal is a major villain in today’s industrial world. They see it as a huge cause of sequestration: storing or taking something to keep it for a time. Words to Understand

pollution for land, air, and water, and as a great producer of greenhouse gases— which it is, worldwide. To counter these problems, the coal industry in North America is working to lessen pollution and to increase the use of coal as a valuable raw material, as well as a fuel that ensures the continent of energy supplies well into the future.

spoil heaps: piles of material left over from excavation. subsidence: sinking lower or falling, as when land sinks above an old coal mine. watercourse: a channel along which water flows, such as a brook, creek, or river.

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