Anyone here have opinions/knowledge about coalbed methane?

[theHandpuppet]

Lately I've been doing a lot of reading about the coal/gas economy in Central Appalachia and the possibility of coalbed methane becoming a "new" source for domestic gas supplies. Of course, almost all of the information avaiable is either from the DOE or coal-related industry. So my question is, would coalbed methane be considered a "clean coal technology" or is this just more of the same dirty mining already in practice?

The reason I'm asking is personal; my family owns large tracts of coal/gas lands in eastern Ky and although there is currently no mining (either surface or deep mine) on our land (we do have one gas well in operation since 1950) but some income from this land would surely be welcome. So far we're the only holdouts in the whole area whose land has not been mined and I'm exploring alternatives to discuss among the family. If we sell the mineral rights outright to wipe our hands of this affair no doubt it would be snatched up by corporate interests that care nothing for the land or the people, so we're hoping, if nothing else, to be good stewards of the land. (We do not live on the property; it is a family inheritance going back to a Revolutionary War grant.)

BTW, is there any possibility there is an organization out there, something akin to the Nature Conservancy, that buys mountain lands to preserve them from mining operations?

Thanks in advance for any advice here.

[phantom power]

1. They will *call* it "clean" technology. Nothing to do with fossil fuels is clean.

Particularly anything to do with coal.

[IDemo]

2. Coalbed methane has too many negatives to know where to begin

But here's a summary:

1) Water quality and quantity - Coalbed methane is loosely bound to coal deposits by groundwater, so massive amounts of water are pumped out to allow the methane out. The water that is pumped out can permanently damage surface soil with sodium, making it unsuitable for agriculture or natural vegetation. Water tables used for human drinking water can be dramatically lowered by this process as well. Also, hydraulic "fracturing fluids" injected into coalbeds to help release methane may cause permanent damage to drinking water.

The water issues associated with CBM are very similar to those of mountain top coal removal in West Virginia.

2) Noise pollution - The noise produced by truck traffic, heavy equipment, seismic explosions, drilling rigs, motors that power pumps, and gas compressors can make life intolerable for anyone living near a CBM operation. The roar emanating from a nearby pump operating 24/7/365 led a rancher in Wyoming to fire several rifle rounds into the rig before he was arrested.

3) Danger - Combustion of 'dewatered' coalbeds can occur due to lightning or range fires. Explosive levels of hydrogen sulfide and methane have been found under buildings and inside homes.

4) Decline in Property Values, as much as 22% in one study done in LaPlata County, Colorado.

more here ==>> http://www.powderriverbasin.org/cbm/general_background_cbm.shtml

http://www.energyjustice.net/naturalgas/cbm/

[theHandpuppet]

3. Thanks for the info, IDemo

I will visit the website and share this info with family.