United States
Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Air and Radiation
6207-1
EPA-430-N-00-004
Spring 2011
COALBED METHANE EXTRA
A publication of the Coalbed Methane Outreach Program (CMOP)
www.epa.gov/cmop
India Pushes Ahead with CMM Projects
In a first for India, prospective operators are being offered active
coal mining blocks to develop projects to extract and utilize coal
mine methane (CMM). India's Coal Mine Planning and Design
Institute (CMPDI) recently issued a notice inviting tenders for
five CMM blocks held by Coal India Limited (CIL). The blocks are
located in the Jharia and East-Bokaro coalfields in northern
India, 300 to 500 km north-west of Kolkata, with the preliminary
goal for the CMM projects expected to involve draining gassy
coal seams below the seams currently mined.
The offering of the CMM blocks is the result of a collaborative
effort between CIL, CMPDI and USEPA's Coalbed Methane
Outreach Program (CMOP) to bring India's coal methane re-
sources to market in an environmentally beneficial manner.
Coal India Limited - CIL is the world's largest coal producing
company, with 431 million tonnes mined in FY2010 and revenue
exceeding INR 525 Billion (approx. USD 11.4 Billion). CIL holds
large coal mining lease acreages across India and carries out its
Drilling Coal Cores in the Damodar Valley, India
(Photo: J.Somers, EPA)
See India on page 2
In this issue...
12,4 India
GMI—New Partner Country
EPA News
Global Methane Initiative
Updates
5 6 U.S. News
International News
New Publications
CBM/CMM Events
Access documents electronically from
the "Documents, Tools, and Re
sources" pages on our Web site at
www.epa.gov/cmop
To subscribe to CBM Extra and CBM
Notes, please go to our website
www.epa.gov/cmop/join/index.html
and register for our mailing list. You
will be added within two weeks.
Global
Methane Initiatival
First Middle Eastern Partner Country
The Global Methane Initiative (GMI) welcomed Jordan, the first Middle Eastern nation
to become a Partner Country, on 22 April 2011. Delegates from the country will par-
ticipate in the Agriculture and Landfill Subcommittees as well as on the Wastewater
Task Force. Based on data from the U.S. EPA's Global Anthropogenic Emissions of Non-
CO? Greenhouse Gases report (pdf, 274 pp, 4 MB), Jordan's 2010 estimated anthropo-
genic methane emissions totaled 2.4 million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent
(MMTCO2E). Landfills represent more than 40 percent of Jordan's anthropogenic
methane emissions—1.02 MMTCO2E—and an additional 35 percent (0.83 MMTCO2E)
come from the agriculture (manure management), oil and gas, and wastewater
sectors.
Jordan's National Center for Research and Development/Energy Re-
search Program, which performs studies, research, and experimental
projects in new and renewable energy sources, will be integral to GMI
participation. The Center will contribute to creating a biogas industry and market,
developing a Biogas Master Plan through 2020, and building biogas technology capac-
ity. The Center will also embark on a country-wide survey of organic waste producers
(e.g., cattle and poultry manure, municipal solid waste, wastewater, agriculture
waste), as well as calculating Jordan's greenhouse gas and methane contribution to
climate change. The ASG looks forward to Jordan's participation in the Initiative.
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Spring 2011
Page 2
COALBED METHANE EXTRA
ndia Pushes Ahead with CMM Proji
India, from page 1
coal mining and related operations through the subsidiary
companies of Eastern Coalfields Ltd. (ECL), Bharat Coking Coal
Ltd. (BCCL), Central Coalfields Ltd. (CCL), Northern Coalfields Ltd.
(NCL), South Eastern Coalfields Ltd. (SECL), Mahanadi Coalfields
Ltd. (MCL) and Western Coalfields (WCL).
With annual GDP growth rates of over 7%, India's economy has
boomed in recent years, and energy needs have risen dramati-
cally. Recognizing India's future energy requirements and the
need for efficient utilization of all available national energy
resources, CIL is pursuing the development of Coalbed Methane
(CBM), CMM, and Ventilation Air Methane (VAM) across it's
lease holdings.
CIL's association with the development of CBM started in the
early 1990's, with CMPDI coordinating these efforts. CMPDI is
now spearheading CIL's development of CMM projects in its
existing mining areas. CIL, through CMPDI, is inviting bids from
technically and financially competent bidders to provide com-
mercial development services in the following CMM blocks:
Moonidih CMM Block, BCCL
Pootkee-Bulliary CMM Block, BCCL
Mohuda Sub-basin CMM Block, BCCL
North Kathara Phase l-lll & Uchitdih CMM Block, CCL
Asnapani- Jarangdih Shaft CMM Block, CCL
Coal Mine Planning and Design Institute - CMPDI is a subsidiary
of CIL providing planning and design support to India's coal
sector. CMPDI pursues adoption and implementation of cutting
edge technologies in the Indian coal mining industry and the
development of non-conventional energy resources from coal.
After the Indian government's formulation of a national CBM
Policy in 1997, which clarified CBM regulations and encourages
CBM resource exploitation, CMPDI was instrumental in identify-
ing and characterizing prospective CBM blocks. As a result of
these efforts, 33 CBM blocks have currently been allotted for
development to Indian and international companies by the
Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoP&NG) during four
bidding rounds. Commercial development of CBM has begun in 2
of these blocks in the Jharia and Raniganj coalfields.
CMPDI's CMM achievements to date include the successful
implementation of a CMM demonstration project at BCCL's
Moonidih mine, which proved the feasibility of recovery and
utilization of CMM in Indian coal mining operations. CMPDI has
(?) Ranigafi]
(?) Jtiana
(7) East Bokaro and Wffst SokafQ
(T) Singraoti
© PemH
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Spring 2011
PageS
COALBED METHANE EXTRA
EPA News
Mark your calendar for the 2011 U.S. Coal Mine Methane
Conference! October 18-20 Park City, Utah.
The conference, taking place at the Marriott Hotel in Park City,
features experts on methane gas recovery and use from both
government and industry, showcases the latest technological
advances, provides expert discussion on legal and financial
issues, examines intriguing case studies, and provides attendees
with important networking opportunities.
We're excited to announce that this year's conference will
feature a special site visit to Solvay Chemicals' trona mine in
Wyoming. Visit EPA's CMM Conference website for more
information.
Call For Papers: Abstract Deadline Extended!
We are soliciting abstracts to be presented at the conference in
Park City. If you or someone from your organization is interested
in speaking at this popular annual event, e-mail your abstract
(about 500 words) to our contractor, ERG.
Abstracts will be accepted until Friday, June 10.
Sponsorship and Exhibitor Opportunities
Our Exhibit Hall becomes more and more popular each year! The
2011 U.S. Coal Mine Methane Conference provides a great
opportunity for companies to showcase themselves in front of
high-level decision makers.
If your company is interested in supporting this event or to
reserve a spot in the exhibit hall please review the Sponsorship
Information Sheet and fill in the Exhibitor Form on the CMM
Conference website.
We look forward to seeing you in Park City.
Online registration is now available.
EPA Issues Extension to
Greenhouse Gas Reporting Deadline
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a
final rule that extends the deadline for reporting 2010 data
under the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reporting Program to
September 30, 2011. The original deadline was March 31,
2011. EPA previously announced its intent to extend the
deadline on March 1, 2011.
Under the GHG Reporting Program, entities required to submit
data must register with the electronic GHG reporting tool (e-
GGRT) no later than 60 days before the reporting deadline.
With this reporting deadline extension, the new deadline for
registering with e-GGRT is August 1, 2011.
Following conversations with industry and others and in the
interest of providing high quality data to the public this year,
EPA is extending this year's reporting deadline to September
30, 2011.
This extension will allow EPA to further test the system that
facilities will use to submit data and give industry the
opportunity to test the tool, provide feedback, and have
sufficient time to become familiar with the tool prior to
reporting.
In addition to the nine rulemakings necessary to comply with
congressional direction for the program, over the past two
years EPA has established a public help center that operates
through our website and efficient mechanisms for
stakeholders to get answers from EPA experts to detailed
technical questions. EPA has also conducted training sessions
with each affected sector and held hundreds of meetings with
stakeholders across the country.
EPA's GHG Reporting Program, launched in October 2009,
requires the reporting of GHG data from large emission
sources across a range of industry sectors, as well as suppliers
of products that would emit GHGs if released or combusted.
The data will help guide policy decisions and the development
of future programs which the Agency might implement to
reduce these emissions. It will also help industries and
businesses find ways to be more efficient and save money.
More information on these actions can be found on EPA's
Climate Change website, along with more information on the
GHG Reporting Program.
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Spring 2011
Page 4
COALBED METHANE EXTRA
Global I
Methane Initiative
GMI Updates
Upcoming Subcommittee Meetings
In response to popular demand, GMI's Coal Subcommittee, as
well as the Agriculture, Landfill and Oil & Gas Systems
Subcommittees, will host their next meetings by webinar.
Through webinar meetings, GMI hopes to support greater
participation by both delegates and Project Network members.
The Coal Mines Subcommittee 2 hour webinar will take place
Monday June 20, at 7:00 AM Eastern Standard time.
More information, including registration details, can be found
on the GMI News and Events webpage.
The GMI Administrative Support Group (ASG) will also send an
email announcing details via its listserve. To register for the
webinar, simply click on the link and follow the prompts.
Participants will receive a confirmation email with all the
necessary information and instructions for logging on to attend
the meeting, which will be conducted using presentations on
the Internet and an associated teleconference.
GMI hopes that the webinar format will allow each sector to
conduct necessary business, while reducing participant travel
expenses and carbon footprint. All subcommittees are planning
to follow up the webinar with in-person meetings later this
year. The dates and locations of those meetings will be
announced shortly.
CMOP Contacts
Address inquiries about the Coalbed Methane Extra or about
the US EPA Coalbed Methane Outreach Program to:
Pamela Franklin
Phone: 202-343-9476
E-mail: franklin.pamela@epa.gov
Jayne Somers
Phone: 202-343-9896
E-mail: somers.jayne@epa.gov
Our mailing address is:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Coalbed Methane Outreach Program, 6207J
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460
India, from page 2.
Embassy economic officials to discuss EPA's CMM education
efforts to date in India, including activities of the Clearinghouse.
CMPDI provided a detailed overview of the progress they have
made in preparing data and information for the development of
the five CMM bid block packages. This work has been facilitated
by CMPDI's new gas-content laboratory built as part of the
Clearinghouse. Dr.Singh, Chairman of CMPDI, discussed possible
support in the assessment of methane reserves in India's aban-
doned mine areas.
CMPDI's New Gas Content Laboratory
(Photo: J.Somers, EPA)
Through the former M2M Partnership, now known as the Global
Methane Initiative (GMI), USEPA awarded a grant to the Central
Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CIMFR) to conduct a
feasibility study on the recovery and utilization of CMM in the
Jharia, Bokaro and Raniganj coalfields. The project is intended to
provide data on CMM/VAM/abandoned mine methane (AMM)
emissions in key gassy coal regions of India. VAM data would
come from 10 working mines. Dr. Somers and Mr. Kelafant met
with CIMFR personnel at their offices in Dhanbad to discuss
progress to date, and then traveled to two core well sites outside
of Durgapur. The core wells were being drilled to determine the
gas content of the coal seams and determine the coal geometry/
seam development in the area. This information will be added to
the CMM/CBM database CIMFR is compiling for the coalfields of
the Damodar Valley.
EPA's fact-finding tour concluded with a visit to Essar Oil's East
Raniganj CBM project. To date, Essar has drilled about 40 CBM
wells and is in the process of building a gas processing facility for
the treatment and sale of the produced gas. An additional 70
wells are planned to be drilled this year.
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Spring 2011
PageS
COALBED METHANE EXTRA
AMM Project Added to Carbon Credits Offset Program
The abandoned mine methane (AMM) capture project at the
Cambria 33 mine in Pennsylvania has been added to the
portfolio of TerraPass, a national carbon credits offset program.
The project extracts methane from the "B" seam of the
abandoned Cambria 33 mine and upgrades the gas before
injection into a nearby natural gas pipeline. It is the first project
to be verified under a new Voluntary Carbon Standard
methodology designed to quantify the emissions reductions
from AMM capture.
TerraPass carbon offsets fund clean energy and other projects
in North America that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Methane from abandoned coal mines represent a significant
proportion of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions (approximately
10%, according to EPA estimates and voluntary offset purchases
can play an important role in encouraging more widespread
implementation of coal mine methane projects. TerraPass
hopes that by paying a project owner for their emission
reductions, as in the case of the Cambria 33 project, it sends a
clear signal to future investors of other projects that carbon
offsets play a real role in paying back investment over time.
Project Details (taken from TerraPass website) - The Cambria 33 mine,
located approximately 70 miles east of Pittsburgh, opened in
1968, and is made up of five seams. In the late 1980s, it was the
largest operating mine in Cambria County, but was
subsequently abandoned in 1994. The mine was not sealed, so
until the installation of the project, methane was allowed to
seep into the atmosphere from the abandoned mine unabated
for nearly fifteen years.
In the mid 2000s, Vessels Coal Gas acquired the rights to
Cambria 33's abandoned "B" seam. Vessels Coal Gas is a
Colorado-based company, founded by technical mine experts
expressly for the purpose of developing CMM capture projects
at working and abandoned coal mines in the United States. At
that time, Vessels also leased a portion of the farmland
overlying Cambria 33 for the project site location.
Over the summer and fall of 2006, Vessels monitored the
existing air shaft and wells from the old mine to confirm that
the mine was a net source of methane emissions to the
atmosphere. In preparation for the project, two new wells were
drilled to serve as collection points for methane from the mine.
The project came online in March 2008, with the operational
start of the gas upgrading system.
The project wells are connected to a gas blower which vacuums
methane from the mine and delivers the gas to a pressure swing
adsorption unit. The unit compresses the gas, pushing it through
several molecular sieves to remove impurities. The purified gas
is then injected into a nearby Peoples Natural Gas utility
pipeline, for delivery to their customers.
In order to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated
with the project, an electricity generator was installed in
December 2010. This generator is fueled by methane captured
from the mine and serves to power the project's gas upgrading
and injection equipment, which had previously relied on grid
P°wer- .M , ,_.«
More details on the plant's production r_
and the methodology for verifying
reductions in AMM emissions can be
found in the Winter 2011 edition of
CBM Extra.
Cambria 33 Gas Plant
Green Holdings Lists CMM Abatement Project with CAR
Green Holdings Enlow, Inc., a greenhouse gas abatement
company, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Green Holdings
Corporation, has listed it's Enlow Fork coal mine methane
abatement project with the Climate Action Reserve (CAR), the
leading carbon offset registry in North America.
Consol Energy, the largest operator of underground coal mines
in the U.S., will host the project which will abate ventilation air
methane (VAM) emissions from its Enlow Fork operation in
south western Pennsylvania, the largest underground coal mine
in the U.S. Green Holdings estimate that, pending final
permitting, the project will become operational in July 2011, and
that it will destroy the equivalent of 190,000 metric tonnes of
carbon dioxide on an annual basis.
The Enlow Fork project will operate within the guidelines
established by CAR's Coal Mine Methane Project Protocol to
quantify, monitor and verify the reduction of GHG emissions
that would have otherwise been vented into the atmosphere
from active underground coal mines. CAR's CMM Protocol was
designed through a multi-stakeholder process to insure that
emission reduction projects registered with it adhere to the
highest standards, thereby ensuring that reductions are real,
permanent and additional, instilling confidence in the
environmental benefit, credibility and efficiency of the U.S.
carbon market.
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Spring 2011
Page 6
COALBED METHANE EXTRA
U.S. News
International News
CBM to Electricity Plant Planned in Indiana
Hoosier Energy, an electricity and generating cooperative
serving central and southern Indiana, is constructing a 13 MW
generating unit powered solely by coal bed methane (CBM).
While similar generation technology has been used successfully
in Australia and China, Hoosier Energy's project is believed to
be the first in the U.S. to use CBM to directly produce power.
Other U.S. CBM projects feed natural gas pipelines or comingle
CBM with natural gas for energy production.
The facility is located on the site of the existing 1,070 MW coal-
fired Merom Generating Station Station, 30 miles south of Terre
Haute, Indiana. Production wells are being drilled and a
gathering system put in place. The extracted CBM will power a
generating unit comprised of four Jenbacher reciprocating
engines producing 13MW of electricity (enough to power about
7,000 homes) when it comes online in July 2012. Initial tests
indicate that coal seams below the site hold twice the volume
of methane needed to power the new facility. Locating the
facility on the Merom Station site allows existing permits to be
modified for construction and operation of the CBM project.
According to Heath Norrick, Hoosier Energy renewable energy
manager, "the fuel and construction costs are favorable
compared to other generation facilities including coal-fired,
nuclear or natural gas."
A bill that passed the Indiana House of Representatives and is
now in the Senate, clarifies CBM's status as a renewable
resource in Indiana. The Terra Haute Tribune-Star reports that
Hoosier Energy's CBM first phase would destroy the equivalent
of 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually while releasing only
10,000 tons. The difference is the equivalent of removing more
than 60,000 cars from the road or removing 2,000 tons of coal
from use annually.
Sources: tribstar.com. CMOP
www.epa.gov/cmop/join/index.html
Gas Power Plan for Closed Colliery Site in England
Alkane Energy, the UK's leading CMM producer, is planning to
add another site to its portfolio of methane drainage operations
in England.
Alkane has identified the closed Gedling Colliery site, in the
county of Nottinghamshire, as having enough recoverable mine
methane resources to generate electricity for more than 5,500
homes over a lifespan of 25 years. The unmanned facility would
extract gas from the mine workings via a single borehole and
generate up to 3.2 MW of electricity using a modular generating
unit comprised of three internal combustion engines. Heat
generated as a by-product of the process could be used by any
future consumers on the site, including a proposed 1,200 home
development and a country park.
According to Colin Rose, project manager for Alkane, the mine is
not currently vented, while methane continues to desorb from
remaining coal seams. Draining the gas removes the potential
hazard of a future uncontrolled methane emission at the surface.
It also utilizes a valuable resource that would otherwise escape
to the atmosphere.
Alkane Energy has nine current methane extraction sites in
central and northern and England, which generate an equivalent
total of 29.5 MW.
One of Alkane's successful projects is sited at the manufacturing
plant of Toray Textile Europe Ltd (TTEL) located just north of the
city of Nottingham. The site sits above a series of mine workings
linking five abandoned coal mines with an estimated methane
production life of over 20 years.
Since the start of drainage operations in 2006, Alkane has ex-
tracted 53 million m3 of methane from two boreholes. The gas
powers three electricity generators on Alkane's site and supplies
a steam boiler on the TTEL site. The boiler has consumed over
10.5 million m3 of methane as an alternative to pipeline gas at a
savings of $1.2 million over four years.
TTEL has also offset $42,000 of "green energy energy credits"
and received over $200,000 in royalty based rent payments from
Alkane Energy. The operation is a good example of a "win-win-
win" scenario for the two businesses and the environment.
Sources: Alkane Energy, TTEL, This is Nottingham
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Spring 2011
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COALBED METHANE EXTRA
International News
Russia to Begin Producing Power
from CBM
The first coalbed methane (CBM) to
energy project in Russia opened in Febru-
ary at Kuzbasskaya Energosetevaya Com-
pania'sTalda site, located near Kemerovo
in theTaldinskaya Coalfield in western
Siberia. The gas is being supplied from a
pilot project that Gazprom, one of the
world's largest energy companies, is
conducting to capture the huge reserves
of CBM in this traditional coal mining
region. The Taldinskaya Coalfield is part
of the Kuzbass coal basin, which Gazprom
estimates to have 13 trillion m3 of CBM
resource at depths of 1,800 to 2,000 m.
Estimated recoverable reserves in the
Taldinskaya field total 45.8 billion m3.
Gazprom drilled seven exploratory wells
in a 2009 pilot program, which produced
a total of 5.3 million m3 methane in 2010.
Fourteen production wells are planned
for the next phase of the project. The
extracted methane powers a GE 1 MW
Jenbacher gas engine generating electric-
ity which supplies three nearby coal
mines and local gas field facilities.
GE estimate that the project will reduce
CO2 emissions by 30,000 tons a year as it
captures methane that would otherwise
be vented to the atmosphere during
future mining operations. Drained CBM
in the area has also been supplied to an
automated compressed natural gas (CNG)
filling station, which refuels mine vehicles
at a nearby strip mining site.
Reciprocating-engine CBM power station in the Taldinskoya field
(Gazprom)
The Kemerovo regional administration is
hoping the successful project will encour-
age active coal mines in the region to
increase methane drainage prior to,
during, and after mining operations. This
will help increase mine safety, in a region
known for its gassy mines, and will also
provide additional revenues to local coal
mining companies. The project will con-
tribute to improving the environmental
safety and energy efficiency in Russia.
Sources: GE Energy. Gazprom
Colombia Safety Push Closes 20
Gassy Mines
Colombia's Ministry of Mines has closed
twenty coal mines that failed to meet
safety standards during a crackdown to
avoid new fatalities from mine methane
explosions. The Ministry of Mines closed
two-thirds of the thirty coal mines visited
in four days in the metallurgic coal-rich
departments of Norte de Santander,
Cundinamarca and Boyaca.
The closed mines, in the municipalities of
Lenguazaque and Cogua (Cundinamarca)
among others, did not have ventilation
systems or the equipment to measure
methane gas concentration. Colombia's
regulations mandate that the methane
gas concentration in a mine cannot ex-
ceed one percent and all mines must
have an adequate number of methane
detectors in designated areas. Minister of
Mines and energy, Carlos Rodado, said
that 'These mines will not reopen until
they meet minimum safety conditions. If
the mine is opened illegally before they
guarantee safety, we will apply the expiry
law."
The Colombian government has taken a
series of measures that include increasing
fines and shutting down legal coal mines
that do not comply with safety condi-
tions, in a move to prevent further fatali-
ties in the country. Twenty-six miners
were killed earlier this year in two acci-
dents caused by apparent methane
explosions. Altogether there have been
473 fatalities and 313 injuries at Colom-
bian coal and gold mines between 2005
and 2010.
The new safety plan includes calls to
cancel coal titles on legal coal miners that
repeatedly do not comply with safety
regulations. The ministry froze the ap-
proval of new coal titles for six months,
saying it has 16,000 titles pending ap-
proval. Marketers will be obliged to buy
coal from legal mines and retailers may
risk having their licenses cancelled if they
buy coal from illegal mines.
Colombian coal federation Fenalcarbon
executive director Gabriel Chiquillo has
said coal production in the inland prov-
inces of Cundinamarca and Boyaca will
not rise significantly this year, as several
legal coal mines that do not comply with
safety measures may be shut down. He
sees those states producing 7 million tons
this year, up from 6 million tons last year.
Source: Mining in Colombia
International Best Practices Workshop
on CMM Recovery and Use
A workshop on "International Best Prac-
tices for CMM Recovery and Use" will be
held June 13-15, 2011 in Kemerovo,
Russia. The goal of the workshop is to
share information on efficient technolo-
gies and modern equipment application
for CMM recovery and use, thus working
to advance CMM recovery and utilization
project development in the country. Also,
international experience of CMM recov-
ery and utilization projects will be pre-
sented. Special attention will be given to
the efficient application of mines' degasi-
fication and ventilation systems for CMM
recovery and its further use.
For more information, please send an e-
mail to: conf@uglemetan.ru
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Spring 2011
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COALBED METHANE EXTRA
New Publications and Toi
EPA Publishes 16 National U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released
the 16th annual U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory. The final report
shows overall emissions during 2009 decreased by 6.1 percent
from the previous year. This downward trend was attributed to
a decrease in fuel and electricity consumption across all U.S.
economic sectors.
Total emissions of the six main greenhouse gases in 2009 were
equivalent to 6,633 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. These
gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydro-
fluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride. The
report indicates that overall emissions have grown by more
than 7.3 percent from 1990 to 2009. Emissions in 2009 repre-
sent the lowest total U.S. annual GHG emissions since 1995.
These numbers reflect the most up to date data at the time of
publication.
The Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks:
1990-2009 (pdf, 449 pp, 14.4 MB) tracks annual greenhouse gas
emissions at the national level and presents historical emissions
from 1990 to 2009. The inventory also calculates carbon dioxide
emissions that are removed from the atmosphere by "sinks,"
e.g., through the uptake of carbon by forests, vegetation and
soils.
This inventory, prepared in collaboration with federal agencies,
is the latest submitted by the United States to the Secretariat of
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC). The UNFCCC sets an overall global framework for
nations to address climate change. The final report takes into
consideration comments received from stakeholders across the
country.
Individual sections of the report can be accessed on the GHG
Inventory Report page of EPA's Climate Change website.
Methane Capture Options for Greenhouse Gas Emission
Reduction
The Congressional Research Service has published a report
discussing alternatives for addressing methane capture, sources
of methane, opportunities and challenges for methane capture,
and current federal programs that support methane recovery. A
few U.S. government programs have supported the capture of
methane to mitigate climate change, including the Global Meth-
ane Initiative (formerly Methane-to-Markets Partnership), ad-
ministered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Read the full report. (PDF, 24 pp, 463K)
Pre-Feasibility Study of Electricity Generation
from Nigerian CMM
This report (pdf, 69 pp., 2.96 MB), funded with
an EPA M2M (now GMI) grant, describes the
results of a pre-feasibility study aimed at
addressing and evaluating the economic
viability of generating electricity from coal
mine methane (CMM) recovered from two
Nigerian coal mines.
(August, 2009)
.-
CMOP Website Upgrades and Additions
EPA has added a new page under the "International Activities"
section of the CMOP website, highlighting CMM resources and
drainage activities in Poland. Among other resources, the page
lists three projects funded with GMI grants, the latest of which
is an "Abandoned Mine Feasibility Study and CMM to LNG As-
sessment" (pdf, 84 pp., 3.52 MB).
The "Documents, Tools & Resources" section of the website has
been extensively upgraded, most notably the new, interactive
map showing current CMM recovery projects and opportunities
in the U.S.
Map d3L- if -_' I' =.r_|.d I
Map Legend
Surface Underground
Mine Mine
No drainage
No gas recovery
With drainage
No gas recovery
With drainage
With gas recovery
Instructions
Click on any of the map markers to view detailed
information on that mine. Some mines are mapped
closely, so please utilize the map zooming functionality to
better view any clusters.
Zooming - You can either click on the "+"/"-" buttons on
the upper left-hand corner, or use your mouse scroll
wheel.
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Spring 2011
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COALBED METHANE EXTRA
CBM/CMM Events
China International Energy Congress and Exhibition 2011
June 9-11, 2011
Guangzhou, China
Website: www.enertechexpo.com/en/index.asp
28th Annual Pittsburgh Coal Conference
September 12-15, 2011
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Website: http://webster.engr.pitt.edu/pcc/2011conf.html
International Best Practices Workshop on CMM Recov-
ery and Use
June 13-15, 2011
Kemerova, Russia
Email: conf@uglemetan.ru
2011 U.S. CMM Conference
October 18-20, 2011
Park City, Utah
Website: www.epa.gov/coalbed/conf/
cmm conference octll.html
Longwall USA 2011
June 21-23, 2011
Pittsburgh, USA
Website: www.mining-media.com/index.php/events/
longwall.html
Clean Power Asia Conference and Expo 2011
June 28-30, 2011
Bangkok, Thailand
Website: www.cleanpower-asia.com
Low Carbon Earth Summit 2011
October 19-26, 2011
Dalian, China
Website: www.lcesummit.com/index.asp
AAPG 2011 International Conference and Exhibition
October 23-26, 2011
Milan, Italy
Website: www.aapg.org/milan2011
Africa Carbon Forum 2011
July 4-6, 2011
Marrakech, Morocco
Website: www.africacarbonforum.com/2011/english/index.htm
Coal-Gen Conference & Exhibition 2011
August 17-19, 2011
Columbus, Ohio
Website: www.coal-gen.com/index.html
22nd World Mining Congress & Expo
September 11-16, 2011
Istanbul, Turkey
Website: www.wmc-expo2011.com
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