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Domestic News
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2008 Domestic News
CBM Note – August 14, 2008
New AMM Project at Cambria 33 Announced
In a press release issued May 20, 2008, Econergy International announced a new coal mine methane capture project at an abandoned mine in the United States. Econergy International and Vessels Coal Gas, Inc (VCG) together commissioned the Vessels Econergy Cambria 33 Resources (Cambria 33) project in Pennsylvania on May 12. The project is now delivering natural gas into the Dominion Peoples local distribution pipeline and will sell an estimated 300 million cubic feet of natural gas annually over the project’s 12 year life. The project will generate revenue from the sale of natural gas and from carbon credits issued as verified emissions reductions (VERs). The project is operated by VCG.
When the press release was issued, Cambria 33 was a 50-50 joint venture between Econergy and VCG, with a total investment value of approximately $6.5 million. Since that time, Econergy has been acquired by Suez Energy South America Participaes Ltda. (SESA).
MSHA records starting in 1995 show no coal production at Cambria No. 33, and the Coalbed Methane Outreach Program (CMOP) listed this mine in its 2004 Abandoned Coal Mine Database (http://www.epa.gov/cmop/docs/amm_final_report.pdf).
CBM Note – July 31, 2008
Visit CMOP at Mining Conferences this Fall!
US EPA’s Coalbed Methane Outreach Program (CMOP) will have a presence at two large international mining conferences this fall. We hope you can visit us at our booths in the exhibition area.
Firstly, CMOP will staff a booth at the 2008 MINExpo International, located at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Nevada September 22-24. This event, which is held every four years, draws over 30,000 attendees. Technical sessions on coal mine methane include speakers from Jim Walter Resources, CONSOL Energy, MEGTEC Systems, and the Verdeo Group. CMOP staff, along with delegations from India, China, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, and the United States, will also participate in the Asia Pacific Partnership Coal Mining Task Force meeting, co-located with MINExpo September 20-21.
In addition, CMOP will again staff a booth at the International Pittsburgh Coal Conference in Pennsylvania. This year's technical program will be held September 30 to October 2 at the Westin Convention Center. Tutorials and technical tours will take place on September 29. One of the conference's six sessions on Global Climate Change will feature a presentation by CONSOL Energy entitled "First U.S. Field Trial of Oxidation Technology for Coal Mine Ventilation Air Methane". The demonstration of this greenhouse gas mitigation technology at an abandoned coal mine is co-funded by USEPA and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Please be sure to stop by our booths for the latest news, information, and resources on coal mine methane (CMM) recovery and utilization projects!
2008 U.S. Coal Mine Methane Conference Oct 28-30 - Mark Your Calendar!
US EPA is pleased to announce this year's U.S. Coal Mine Methane Conference, which will take place October 28-30, 2008, in Pittsburgh, PA. After a successful 2007 conference in St. Louis, the EPA's Coalbed Methane Outreach Program (CMOP) aims to bring you a bigger and better event in 2008 with an in-depth look at new projects, project updates, industry forecasts, new technologies, and more.
We'll also take discussions about coal mine methane out of the conference room and into the field, with a can't-miss field trip to a nearby Consol Energy/CNX Gas site to observe its advanced degasification and methane recovery operation.
This year's conference takes place at the Omni William Penn Hotel, a luxury hotel in downtown Pittsburgh close to many of the city's best attractions. EPA has secured a limited number of rooms at the government per diem rate- currently $108.00 per night- for the conference. To make your reservations, simply call 1-800-THE-OMNI, and mention the U.S. Coal Mine Methane Conference to receive this special rate.
Look for more details, agenda, and registration information for the 2008 U.S. Coal Mine Methane Conference, soon to be posted online at www.epa.gov/cmop/conf/index.html. You may also e-mail meetings@erg.com for more information about the event.
We look forward to seeing you in Pittsburgh!
July 17, 2008 - 2008 U.S. Coal Mine Methane Conference – Registration live!
US EPA's Coalbed Methane Outreach Program is sponsoring the 2008 U.S. Coal Mine Methane Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, October 28 – 30, 2008. Registration is now live on the conference webpage.
This year's agenda will focus on emerging issues and developments that directly affect CMM development in the US, including:
- Institutional and policy issues
- Opportunities and exciting new developments for ventilation air methane projects
- Technologies for upgrading gas or converting it to LNG
- Exploring the viability of surface mines as CMM projects
- Methodologies, standards, and new tools to help evaluate and finance CMM projects, including a moderated discussion by a panel of experts
The 3rd day of the conference includes a site visit to the ventilation air methane technology demonstration project hosted by CONSOL Energy.
For more information about the venue, a draft agenda, and sponsorship opportunities, please see the website.
We look forward to seeing you in Pittsburgh in October!
June 19, 2008 - CNX Joins the Chicago Climate Exchange
As reported in the Richmond Times Dispatch on June 12, 2008, representatives of CNX Gas Corp. were accompanied by Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine last week to announce that CNX joined the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) as an offset provider. The company said that it has registered 8.4 million metric tons of carbon-dioxide equivalent offsets from its operations in Virginia and elsewhere with CCX.
CNX is a publicly traded Pittsburgh company that produces coalbed methane and coal mine methane. In 2006, CNX produced 59 percent of the 102 billion cubic feet of natural gas produced in Virginia, according to a state report. It was created in a spin-off three years ago from Consolidation Coal, which operates Virginia's largest coal mine, Buchanan No. 1. CNX hopes to work with coal companies other than Consolidation to produce coal-bed methane, DeIullis said.
CCX offers a market-based approach for combating climate change by providing financial incentives to companies that reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. Richard Sandor, chairman and CEO of CCX, said companies representing 16 percent of U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions are exchange members. Those companies include Jim Walters Resources and Cleveland Cliffs (formerly PinnOak Resources).
Virginia has recently established a goal of cutting greenhouse-gas emissions 30 percent by 2025.
May 22, 2008 - EPA Presents 2008 Climate Protection Award to MEGTEC Systems for Innovative Work with Ventilation Air Methane
On May 19, 2008, the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) honored 39 individuals, organizations, and companies from around the world for their outstanding efforts to protect the Earth's climate and stratospheric ozone layer. The 10th annual Climate and Ozone Layer Protection Awards were presented at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. The award recipients have demonstrated ingenuity and leadership by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, negotiating international agreements to protect the ozone layer and climate, and spreading awareness about the importance of these issues.
The 2008 Climate Protection Award recipients included MEGTEC Systems, which was honored for their work to develop and implement an innovative technology to capture and recover energy from the dilute methane emitted from coal mine ventilation shafts. MEGTEC's technology, a thermal oxidation system, is currently the world's only commercially-operating technology converting coal mine ventilation air methane to electricity at a site in Australia. MEGTEC has additional projects underway in Australia, China, Europe, and the United States.
Worldwide, coal mining activities release about 8% of all anthropogenic emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is also a clean-burning source of energy. Underground coal mine ventilation shafts emit more than 50% of coal-mining related methane emissions.
EPA began the Climate Protection Awards in 1998 and has so far recognized 154 recipients from 18 countries for outstanding efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"Efforts to help restore the ozone layer and fight climate change will benefit the planet for generations to come," said Bob Meyers, principal deputy assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Air & Radiation. "We commend the 2008 Climate and Ozone Layer Protection Award winners for their work to protect our environment."
For more information and a complete list of winners, see: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/names/hq_2008-5-19_award_winners and http://www.epa.gov/cppd/awards/2008winners.html
May 15, 2008 - EPA Developing Regulation for CO2 Geologic Sequestration
The EPA is developing proposed minimum federal regulations to protect underground sources of drinking water from underground injection of carbon dioxide (CO2) for the purpose of geologic sequestration (GS). The proposed regulations are scheduled to be published in the summer of 2008, followed by a formal public comment period. EPA's Office of Water is working with EPA's Office of Air and Radiation as well as other federal agencies including the Department of Energy, Department of Transportation, and Bureau of Land Management to investigate these issues.
Under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), EPA develops minimum requirements for state, tribal, and territorial Underground Injection Control (UIC) programs. EPA has determined that GS of CO2 through well injection meets the definition of "underground injection" in the SDWA. The proposed rulemaking will amend existing UIC programmatic requirements currently used for siting, construction, operation, monitoring and testing, and closure of CO2 injection wells. The proposal will discuss long-term liability and seek further comment on this issue as part of the proposed rulemaking. The proposal will also include public participation requirements that would be associated with issuance of permits. Costs of carrying out regulations for geologic sequestration programs will be assessed as part of the cost analysis for the rulemaking. While SDWA provides EPA with authority to protect underground sources of drinking water, it does not provide authority under the UIC provision in several other areas related to GS. These include capture and transport of CO2, licensing of the GS site and reservoir, ownership of the pore space, and certification for greenhouse gas reductions.
EPA's proposed regulations will build on the UIC Program's many years of experience in safely injecting fluids, including carbon dioxide, into the subsurface. It will also consider stakeholder input; this past winter, EPA held two public meetings that focused on the potential regulatory framework for geologic sequestration. Each meeting was attended by 200-250 stakeholders representing government, research institutions, industry, public interest groups, law firms, and the general public.
More information on GS rule development is on the EPA's Underground Injection Control Program Web site: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/uic/wells_sequestration.html
May 8, 2008 - Second Appeal Filed in West Elk Mine Expansion Action
As reported in the Denver Post on April 29, 2008, conservation groups filed a second appeal with the U.S. Forest Service regional office late last month to block a plan allowing a Gunnison County coal mine to release methane gas. The groups contend the West Elk Mine northeast of Paonia, Colorado is planning to release significant quantities of gas and want the Forest Service to consider capturing or flaring the gas rather than just releasing it into the atmosphere.
In 2006, Mountain Coal Company, an Arch Coal subsidiary, submitted a request to the Colorado Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety to expand production and add methane drainage at its West Elk mine. On August 17 and November 8, 2007, the Forest Service issued two Records of Decision that together approved the request. In early 2008, a Denver-based NGO filed its first appeal of the Forest Service decision on the grounds that methane destruction was not adequately considered as an alternative in the Environmental Impacts Statement. The Forest Service considered the appeal but in March eliminated from detailed study the flaring of methane emissions as a viable alternative at this time. The April 28 action by conservation groups is the second appeal of the Forest Service decision.
For more background information on this action, see the Spring 2008 issue of our newsletter (PDF) (11 pp, 499K).
May 1, 2008 - MSHA Approval Granted for U.S. VAM Mitigation Project
Biothermica announced on April 28, 2008 that it has received authorization from the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to proceed with the implementation of an innovative greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction project at Jim Walter Resources' coal mine no. 7 in Brookwood, Alabama.
Biothermica will use its VAMOX™ regenerative thermal oxidation system to destroy ventilation air methane (VAM) before this potent GHG is released to the atmosphere. The demonstration project will achieve GHG emission reductions of approximately 40,000 tons of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e) annually. "Our project will also be the first in the world to generate an income stream based on the selling of carbon credits resulting from VAM destruction", said Guy Drouin, President of Biothermica.
VAM constitutes approximately 54% of U.S. coal mine methane emissions. "Historically considered as waste, ventilation air can now turn into a valuable asset that can be sold as carbon credits on the market" said Thomas E. McNider, General Manager of Mining Engineering at Jim Walter Resources. "Moreover, Biothermica's VAMOX™ requires no modification to our existing mine equipment and remains independent from our ventilation systems".
For more information, see the full press release at http://www.biothermica.com/brochure_pdf/comm_vamjwr_en.pdf (PDF) (2pp, 39K)
April 24, 2008 - Now Live: EPA Website about Development of Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule
EPA has posted information for stakeholders on its website about the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reporting Rule that the agency is currently developing. The website contains a 9-page, PDF overview document and a link to appropriations language that directs EPA to develop this rule. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ghgrulemaking.html
On December 26, 2007, President Bush signed the FY2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act (Public Law 110-161) which authorized EPA to "...develop and publish a draft rule not later than 9 months after the date of enactment of this Act, and a final rule not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, to require mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions above appropriate thresholds in all sectors of the economy..." EPA will use its authority under the Clean Air Act (Sections 114, 208) to establish this program.
This is an ambitious timetable but EPA is working toward the deadlines.
EPA is aware of existing methods for reporting already at the federal and state levels and intends to build on those existing approaches, rather than starting from scratch.
Congress set a broad scope for this program, including reporting of all six greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide (CO2), as well as more potent gases such as methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). The program may include reporting by both upstream fuel and chemical suppliers and as well as downstream emitters.
Congress provided flexibility and discretion to EPA in writing the rule, particularly in determining appropriate thresholds and the frequency of reporting.
EPA welcomes stakeholder input and plans to reach out to stakeholders through information sharing sessions as well as public meetings.
March 27, 2008 - New US Coalbed Methane Maps and Tools Available from US EIA
Two updated graphical tools of US coalbed methane and coal mine methane resources are available on the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) website: http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/natural_gas/analysis_publications/maps/maps.htm
This page can also be accessed via EPA’s Coalbed Methane Outreach Program (CMOP) website at http://www.epa.gov/cmop/resources/index.html (“United States Coalbed Methane Maps” under “Tools and Resources”).
Based on GIS, the map shows the location of US coal basins, coalbed methane fields, the 100 gassiest coal mines, and coal mine methane recovery projects. The second poster provides detailed information about historical US coalbed methane resources and production according to coal basins. Both posters are downloadable in pdf format.
February 29, 2008 - US EPA Seeks Comments on Draft Survey of CBM Extraction Activities
The US Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water is seeking comments on a draft questionnaire aimed at gathering information about coalbed methane extraction activities to assess whether a need exists to develop effluent guidelines for this sector, for which no effluent guidelines currently exist (73 Fed. Reg. 4,556). http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-WATER/2008/January/Day-25/w1344.htm
The purpose of the questionnaire is to gather information about pollutants discharged; current and potential pollution prevention and control technology options; growth and economic affordability; and implementation considerations during extraction of coalbed methane. Coalbed methane accounts for about 10 percent of natural gas production in the United States.
Effluent guidelines are national, technology-based standards for direct wastewater discharges to surface waters. Extraction of coalbed methane requires removal of large amounts of water from underground coal seams before the methane can be released. Pollutants found in these wastewaters include chloride, sodium, sulfate, bicarbonate, fluoride, iron, barium, magnesium, ammonia, and arsenic.
EPA is required under Section 303(m) of the Clean Water Act to publish biannually a plan that describes its approach to revising or developing effluent guidelines and pretreatment standards for industrial pollutants that might pose a human health hazard.
Comments are due by March 25 on the proposed questionnaire. Comments should be identified by Docket No. EPA-HQ-OW-2006-0771 and may be submitted to http://www.regulations.gov.
February 26 - 27, 2008 - Carbon Forum America 2008
San Francisco, CA
This event, organized by International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) and Koelnmesse, is a trade fair and conference focusing on opportunities in the emerging carbon market in North America. US EPA will host a side event featuring the Methane to Markets Partnership and opportunities for methane reductions in North America in coal mining, landfills, oil & gas, and agricultural sectors.
For more details including the agenda, a list of exhibits, and registration information, please see: http://www.carbonforumamerica.com/
February 21, 2008 - CMOP Published New Report on CMM Upgrading Technologies
In its new report, Upgrading Drained Coal Mine Methane to Pipeline Quality (PDF), (26 pp, 379K) the Coalbed Methane Outreach Program (CMOP) provides an overview of gas upgrading technologies that can be used to remove contaminants typically found in coal mine methane (CMM). This report - a drastic update of one published over ten years ago on the same topic - also provides several examples of successful technology installations in operation at coal mines today. The report's appendix contains profiles of vendors with commercially available upgrade technologies as well as technologies in the demonstration and R&D phases. The appendix focuses on vendors of nitrogen rejection systems but provides information on other contaminants that can be removed either by the technology itself or by a compatible third party technology. The report can be found on the CMOP Web site along side other resources for those interested in Implementing a Project: http://www.epa.gov/cmop/resources/imp_proj.html
February 12 - 14, 2008 - National Western Mining Conference and Exhibition
Denver, CO
The 110th National Western Mining Conference and Exhibition, planned by the Colorado Mining Association, will include sessions exploring mineral development opportunities in Colorado and the challenges facing the mining industry in the area of climate policy, health, safety and the environment. Sessions will also focus on addressing public concerns about mining and enhancing public appreciation of this vital industry.
To view the agenda, to register, and to learn more information about sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, visit the Web site at: http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Invitation.aspx?i=40cf554b-eac7-4e4e-a1a8-6b993e81eac5. Event planners request that you RSVP by February 5, 2008.
January 24, 2008 - Initial Buchanan Mine Restart Activities Successful
As announced in a Consol Energy news release, temporary seals were removed and ventilation fans were successfully restarted on Sunday without incident at Buchanan Mine, near Mavisdale, VA.
Coal production was suspended and the mine was evacuated on July 9, 2007, after several roof falls in previously mined areas damaged some of the ventilation controls inside the mine. In the aftermath, Consol established more than 100 monitoring stations to thoroughly sample the mine atmosphere and drilled approximately 50 boreholes into the mine to pump water and inert gases into areas where the possibility of combustion existed. In November 2007, once monitoring stations showed acceptable levels of gases, the company sealed the mine per safety agency requirements to ensure that the mine atmosphere was inert and incapable of supporting combustion. The results indicated that the mine atmosphere is in a stable condition, so the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Mines, Mineral, and Energy and the Mine Safety and Health Administration approved the removal of seals and the restart of all six of the mine's ventilation fans. It is expected that team members will enter the mine for evaluation and repairs beginning on January 27, 2008.
Consol Energy Inc. is a high-Btu bituminous coal and coal bed methane (CBM) company. It has 20 bituminous coal mining complexes in six states and reports proven and probable coal reserves of 4.5 billion tons. Buchanan Mine is home to a large project that recovers methane in advance of and during coal mining and sells it to the natural gas pipeline system and to a peaking gas-fired power plant.
January 17, 2008 - Article on CMM Recovery Featured in Aspen Times Weekly
The Aspen Times Weekly (Aspen, Colorado) featured a coal mine methane recovery and utilization project at the Aberdeen Mine near Price, Utah, as an innovative example of harnessing waste energy. Clean-burning methane that was otherwise simply being vented to the atmosphere to maintain safe methane levels in the mine is now being upgraded to pipeline quality and sold. CMOP provided technical assistance to the project, and staff was interviewed for the article. The project received funding from the city of Aspen and Aspen's Community Office for Resource Efficiency. Read the article at http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20071229/ASPENWEEKLY/47544009