The Fire Within

Steam from the Centralia, PA, coal mine fire, 1982  Leif Skoogfors, Corbis

Ah, "clean coal." Here's a dirty little tidbit: There are more than 200 fires burning above- and underground at coal mines around the country ~ many thousands more around the world ~ all releasing toxins including benzene, hydrogen sulfide, mercury, and arsenic, as well as greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide. One of them, in Pennsylvania, has been burning for more than 50 years (story, slideshow): http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2013/01/pictures/130108-centralia-mine-fire/