Sept. 16

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has committed more than $1 million to assess the feasibility of recovering and using methane from coal mines in China.

If methane recovery programs are undertaken at all three sites, as many as 1.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent could be reduced each year, according to the EPA. That would equal the annual emissions of 330,000 passenger vehicles.

Mining coal allows methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide, to escape into the atmosphere. Methane is the primary constituent of natural gas and an important energy source. Capturing and using coal mine methane, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, conserves energy, enhances mine safety, and provides a new source of revenue for the mine.

The U.S. and China will work together to promote the recovery of coal mine methane through the Methane to Markets partnership, the U.S. EPA´s Coalbed Methane Outreach Program, the China Coalbed Methane Clearinghouse, the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate and the U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue.

Information on Coalbed Methane Outreach Program is available online at www.epa.gov/cmop.

Contact Waste News senior reporter Bruce Geiselman at (330) 865-6172 or bgeiselman@crain.com

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