Boston University Nov 17 2025 Fossil fuels release pollutants into the air when extracted and burned, but there's more to their production than massive oil rigs diving deep into the Earth and smoky power plants. Those processes are examples of only the first and last-and generally most visible-moments in a fossil fuel's five-stage journey. Between the initial extraction site and the final power-generating facility, oil and gas are also refined to remove impurities, held in storage facilities,