Environmental Costs of Strip Mining of Texas Lignite

• Area stripping• Overburden not high sulfur

Reclamation cost CT = 0.055 CA/T

CT = Cost in cents per ton

T = coal seam thickness in feet

CA = reclamation cost in dollars per acre ($200 in Texas, adequate rainfall for revegetation)

Table 3-5Estimates of Land Reclamation Costs for Surface Mining of Coal

Coal Type $/Acre $/Ton Coal $/1012 Btu

Midwest Lignite 500-4,500 0.10-0.25 8,000-22,000

Western Coal 1,500-6,000 0.20-1.00 11,500-59,000

Eastern Coal 4,000-6,500 2.00-5.00 90,000-230,000

Basis: 1980 constant dollars.

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

U.S. Average

Southwest

Rocky Mountain

Powder & Green River Basins

Dakota Lignite

Gulf Lignite

West Interior

East Interior

Southern Appalachia

Central Appalachia

Northern Appalachia

1999 20012000 2002

Source: EIA-7A Coal Production Report, file data

Dollars per Short Ton

Average Mine Price of Coal by Supply Region, Survey Data 1999-2002

Coal Bed Methane….

• Methane physically adsorbs onto coal• Can desorb methane by..

– Reducing pressure (pumping water)– Injecting carbon dioxide, nitrogen, etc.

• Features….– Very shallow production (cheap)– Plentiful--nearly every coal bed has methane with it– Must produce a lot of water– Economical at >2$/MCF

Producing Coal Bed Methane

From Wiser, 2000

Desorption of methane

Produce water and methane