Most people don't give too much thought to where their electricity comes from. Flip a switch, and the lights go on. That's all. The origins of that energy, or how it actually got into our homes, is generally hidden from view.
Yet the makeup of America's energy infrastructure matters enormously — it's at the heart of everything from President Obama's upcoming rules on climate change to the endless squabbling over the Keystone XL pipeline. So if you're curious to see what that infrastructure actually looks like, check out this fascinating map tool from the Energy Information Administration. It lets you explore every power plant, coal mine, oil well, and pipeline in the country.
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