For many years, it was discarded as worthless. Yet, it is one of the most valuable fuels we have. Natural gas is made up mainly of a chemical called methane, a simple, compound that has a carbon atom surrounded by four hydrogen atoms. Methane is highly flammable and burns almost completely. There is no ash and very little air pollution.
Natural gas provides one-fifth of all the energy used in the United States.
It is especially important in homes, where it supplies nearly half of all the energy used for cooking, heating, and for fueling other types of home appliances. Because natural gas has no odor, gas companies add a chemical to it that smells a little like rotten eggs. The odor makes it easy to smell if there is a gas leak in your house. These are the areas of the United States and Canada where natural gas formations are found. The United States has a lot of natural gas, enough to last for at least another 60 years and probably a lot longer.