Fossil Fuels and Energy Sources Overview

Fossil Fuels

Energy sources formed from the remains of ancient plants and animals, including coal, oil, and natural gas.

Conventional

Refers to fossil fuel extraction methods that are well-established and economically feasible, such as drilling for oil and gas from easily accessible reservoirs.

Unconventional

Refers to fossil fuel sources that require advanced extraction techniques, such as fracking for shale gas or extracting oil from tar sands.

Oil & Natural Gas

Hydrocarbon-based energy sources; oil is a liquid fossil fuel, while natural gas is primarily methane.

Hydrocarbons

Organic compounds made of hydrogen and carbon, which are the primary components of fossil fuels.

Kerogen

A precursor to oil and natural gas found in sedimentary rocks, which releases hydrocarbons when heated.

Shale Gas

Natural gas trapped within shale rock formations, extracted using hydraulic fracturing (fracking).

Tight Gas

Natural gas found in low-permeability rock formations, requiring special extraction techniques like fracking.

Coal (Peat, Bitumen, Anthracite)

Peat: The first stage of coal formation, composed of partially decayed plant matter. Bituminous Coal: A soft coal with high energy content, used for electricity generation. Anthracite: The hardest and highest-energy coal, containing the most carbon.

Energy Density

The amount of energy stored in a given mass or volume of a fuel.

Power Density

The rate at which energy is produced per unit area or volume.

Net Energy

The total energy obtained from a resource minus the energy required to extract and process it.

Automatic Waste

Waste produced as an unavoidable byproduct of energy use.

Unnecessary Waste

Energy wasted due to inefficiency or poor management.

Commercial Waste

Energy waste from businesses and industries.

Subsistence Waste

Energy waste from basic survival activities, often in developing countries.

2nd Law of Thermodynamics

States that energy naturally disperses, increasing entropy, meaning energy conversions are never 100% efficient.

Net Energy Ratio

The ratio of usable energy obtained from a resource to the energy expended to acquire it.

Energy Return on Investment (EROI)

A measure of how much energy is gained from a resource compared to the energy used to extract it.

Crude Oil/Petroleum

A liquid fossil fuel composed of hydrocarbons, refined into products like gasoline and diesel.

Peak Oil

The point at which global oil production reaches its maximum and begins to decline.

OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries)

A group of oil-producing nations that coordinate policies to influence global oil prices.

Coalbed Methane

Natural gas found in coal seams, extracted for energy use.

Tight Sands

Natural gas trapped in dense sandstone formations.

Methane Hydrates

Methane trapped in ice-like structures in deep ocean sediments or permafrost.

Oil Shale

Sedimentary rock containing kerogen, which can be converted into oil through heating.

Tar Sands (Oil Sands)

Sand and clay mixed with bitumen, a thick, tar-like form of petroleum extracted through mining or steam injection.

Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking)

A technique that injects water, sand, and chemicals into rock formations to release oil and gas.

Flowback

The fluid that returns to the surface after fracking, containing water, chemicals, and hydrocarbons.

Fracking Fluids

A mixture of water, sand, and chemicals used to fracture rock formations and extract oil or gas.

PADD (Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts)

U.S. regions designated for oil distribution and refining purposes.

Gasification

A process that converts coal or biomass into synthetic gas (syngas) for energy use.

Cogeneration

The simultaneous production of electricity and useful heat from the same energy source.

ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge)

A region in Alaska with debated oil reserves, where drilling is controversial due to environmental concerns.

Nuclear Energy

Energy released from atomic reactions, primarily nuclear fission, used to generate electricity.

Uranium

A radioactive element used as fuel in nuclear reactors.

Half-life

The time required for half of a radioactive substance to decay.

Nuclear Fission

The process where atomic nuclei split, releasing energy.

U-238 (Uranium-238)

The most abundant uranium isotope, not easily fissionable but can be converted into plutonium-239.

Plutonium-239

A man-made radioactive isotope used in nuclear weapons and reactors.

U-235 (Uranium-235)

A naturally occurring isotope capable of sustaining a nuclear chain reaction.

Isotopes

Atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons.

Light Water Reactors (LWRs)

The most common type of nuclear reactor, using ordinary water as a coolant and moderator.

Nuclear Chain Reaction

A self-sustaining series of nuclear fissions, releasing energy.

Fuel Rods

Metal tubes containing nuclear fuel (usually uranium) used in reactors.

Fuel Pellets

Small cylindrical pieces of enriched uranium inside fuel rods.

Fuel Assembly

A bundle of fuel rods used in a nuclear reactor.

Nuclear Reactor & Core

The central part of a nuclear power plant where fission occurs.

Containment Vessel

A structure designed to contain radiation and prevent leaks in case of an accident.

Spent Fuel Rods

Used nuclear fuel that remains highly radioactive and requires storage or reprocessing.

Decommission

The process of safely shutting down and dismantling a nuclear power plant.

Conventional Nuclear Fuel Cycle

The standard process of using uranium fuel, followed by disposal or reprocessing of waste.

High-Level Waste (HLW)

Highly radioactive materials from nuclear reactors, requiring long-term storage.

Nuclear Fusion

A reaction where atomic nuclei combine, releasing massive energy, but not yet viable for commercial power.

Bipartisan

Refers to different political parties that usually oppose each other's policies coming to agreement where necessary.

Buffer

(in this case a mountain) The mountains are buffers against multiple things such as erosion, noise, etc. Mountains also regulate local weather patterns.

Clean Water Act/Provisions- 1972

The framework for regulating the discharge of pollutants to all bodies of water = lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands.

Coal Seams

Layers of coal embedded in sedimentary rock (coal is also sedimentary). 'Like a cake.'

Common Good

The good for all people - conditions that are equally to everyone's advantage.

Civil Disobedience

1) Break the Law, 2) Do it openly, 3) Accept the consequences, 4) Do it peacefully.

Fill Materials

Materials used to fill the areas that were mined. Usually soil, rock, and loose sediment.

Geology & Topography

Geology (in this context) refers to the history of events that led to seams of fossil fuels (Appalachia was once a region of massive swamps that were compressed due to intense pressure). Topography refers to hills, mountains, valleys and other characteristics of the terrain.

Heavy metals

(examples)- Lead, mercury, arsenic, nickel, (there are others, these are the ones mentioned in the film that are associated with coal).

Intrinsic value

The market value tells us the price that people are willing to pay for an asset (in this case a nonrenewable resource). Based on a resource's value vs. its actual financial performance.

Land Reclamation

According to the Reclamation Act of 1977, mining companies must post bond and have a plan for how they will ensure the land area that they are mining is put back to its original state.

Mountaintop Removal Mining

A type of coal mining where the layers above, between, and under coal seams. The layer above each coal seam is blasted off instead of drilled out. This is cheaper and easier to access than other forms of mining.

Overburden

The rock and/or soil layer that needs to be removed in order to access the desired ore material. Sometimes referred to as "spoil" or "waste rock."

Silica (relation to silicosis)

The small particles that remain suspended in the air from coal mining. Silicosis, a debilitating and potentially deadly lung disease, develops through inhalation of excessive concentrations of respirable crystalline silica dust.

Sludge Impoundments

Before being transported to market, coal must be washed to separate it from the surrounding soil and rock-the more impurities a company can remove from coal, the higher its market value and the lesser the transportation costs. The washing process generates huge volumes of liquid waste, while the mining process generates millions of tons of solid waste.

Carcinogenic chemicals in sludge

Sludge contains carcinogenic chemicals used to process coal. It also contains toxic heavy metals that are present in coal, such as arsenic, mercury, chromium, cadmium, boron, selenium, and nickel.

Subsidy

A sum of money granted by the government or a public body to assist an industry or business so that the price of a commodity or service may remain low or competitive.

Triple Bottom Line Approach

A way to evaluate the worth of something not just on its economic effect, but also on its environmental and social effects.

Negative Externality

A cost that is suffered by a third party as a consequence of an economic transaction. In a transaction, the producer and consumer are the first and second parties, and third parties include any individual, organization, property owner, or resource that is indirectly affected.

Externalities

Externalities are also referred to as spillover effects, and a negative externality is also referred to as an 'external cost'.

Soil Substitute

Refers to a material used to replace the natural topsoil removed during mining operations, often composed of amended mine waste, industrial byproducts like coal combustion slag, or other materials designed to support plant growth on reclaimed land.

Mine waste

Processed and amended mine tailings or waste rock, often requiring neutralization to manage acidity.

Industrial byproducts

Coal combustion byproducts like fly ash or slag, which can be used to improve soil structure and nutrient content.

Organic materials

Compost, manure, or other organic matter to enhance soil fertility and microbial activity.

Amendments

Lime or other materials to adjust soil pH levels, particularly in acidic mining environments.