§ 13336 — Coalbed Methane Recovery

(a) The Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Secretary of the Interior, shall conduct a study of— (1) technical, economic, financial, legal, regulatory, institutional, or other barriers to coalbed methane recovery, and of policy options for eliminating such barriers; and (2) the environmental and safety aspects of flaring coalbed methane liberated from coal mines. (b) Beginning one year after October 24, 1992, the Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Secretary of the Interior, shall disseminate to the public information on state-of-the-art coalbed methane recovery techniques, including information on costs and benefits. (c) The Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Secretary of the Interior, shall establish a coalbed methane recovery demonstration and commercial application program, which shall emphasize gas enrichment technology. Such program shall address— (1) gas enrichment technologies for enriching medium-quality methane recovered from coal mines to pipeline quality; (2) technologies to use mine ventilation air in nearby power generation facilities, including gas turbines, internal combustion engines, or other coal fired powerplants; (3) technologies for cofiring methane recovered from mines, including methane from ventilation systems and degasification systems, together with coal in conventional or clean coal technology boilers; and (4) other technologies for producing and using methane from coal mines that the Secretary considers appropriate.