COAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
TO SUPPORT NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations contained in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. government. Supported by the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Department of the Interior, under Award No. CT5-06401.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.
COMMITTEE ON COAL RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGY, AND RESOURCE ASSESSMENTS TO INFORM ENERGY POLICY
CORALE L. BRIERLEY, Chair,
Brierley Consultancy LLC, Highlands Ranch, Colorado
FRANCIS P. BURKE,
CONSOL Energy Inc. (retired), South Park, Pennsylvania
JAMES C. COBB,
University of Kentucky, Lexington
ROBERT B. FINKELMAN,
University of Texas at Dallas
WILLIAM FULKERSON,
Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
HAROLD J. GLUSKOTER,
U.S. Geological Survey (emeritus), McLean, Virginia
MICHAEL E. KARMIS,
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
KLAUS S. LACKNER,
Columbia University, New York
REGINALD E. MITCHELL,
Stanford University, California
RAJA V. RAMANI,
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
JEAN-MICHEL M. RENDU, Mining Consultant,
Englewood, Colorado
EDWARD S. RUBIN,
Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
SAMUEL A. WOLFE,
New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, Newark
National Research Council Staff
DAVID A. FEARY, Study Director
TANYA PILZAK, Research Associate (until December 2005)
CAETLIN M. OFIESH, Research Associate (January-March 2006)
KRISTEN B. DALY, Research Associate (March-July 2006)
SANDI SCHWARTZ, Project Researcher (from August 2006)
JENNIFER T. ESTEP, Financial and Administrative Associate
JAMES DAVIS, Senior Project Assistant (until December 2005)
AMANDA M. ROBERTS, Senior Project Assistant (January-August 2006)
NICHOLAS D. ROGERS, Senior Project Assistant (from August 2006)
COMMITTEE ON EARTH RESOURCES
MURRAY W. HITZMAN, Chair,
Colorado School of Mines, Golden
FRANCIS P. BURKE,
CONSOL Energy Inc. (retired), South Park, Pennsylvania
WILLIAM S. CONDIT, Independent Consultant,
Santa Fe, New Mexico
MICHAEL DOGGETT,
Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
THOMAS V. FALKIE,
Berwind Natural Resources Corporation (retired), Newtown Square, Pennsylvania
PATRICIA M. HALL,
BP America Inc., Houston, Texas
DAVID D. LAURISKI,
Safety Solutions International, LLC, Parker, Colorado
ANN S. MAEST,
Stratus Consulting, Boulder, Colorado
LELAND L. MINK,
U.S. Department of Energy Geothermal Program (retired), Worley, Idaho
REGINAL SPILLER,
Frontera Resources Corporation, Houston, Texas
SAMUEL J. TRAINA,
University of California, Merced
HAROLD J. VINEGAR,
Shell Exploration and Production Company, Houston, Texas
National Research Council Staff
ELIZABETH A. EIDE, Senior Program Officer
NICHOLAS D. ROGERS, Senior Program Assistant
BOARD ON EARTH SCIENCES AND RESOURCES
GEORGE M. HORNBERGER, Chair,
University of Virginia, Charlottesville
GREGORY B. BAECHER,
University of Maryland, College Park
STEVEN R. BOHLEN,
Joint Oceanographic Institutions, Washington, D.C.
KEITH C. CLARKE,
University of California, Santa Barbara
DAVID COWEN,
University of South Carolina, Columbia
WILLIAM E. DIETRICH,
University of California, Berkeley
ROGER M. DOWNS,
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
JEFF DOZIER,
University of California, Santa Barbara
KATHERINE H. FREEMAN,
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
RHEA L. GRAHAM,
Pueblo of Sandia, Bernalillo, New Mexico
RUSSELL J. HEMLEY,
Carnegie Institute of Washington, Washington, D.C.
MURRAY W. HITZMAN,
Colorado School of Mines, Golden
LOUISE H. KELLOGG,
University of California, Davis
V. RAMA MURTHY,
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
CLAYTON NICHOLS,
Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (retired), Sandpoint
RAYMOND A. PRICE,
Queen’s University, Ontario, Canada
BARBARA A. ROMANOWICZ,
University of California, Berkeley
JOAQUIN RUIZ,
University of Arizona, Tucson
MARK SCHAEFER,
Global Environment and Technology Foundation, Arlington, Virginia
WILLIAM W. SHILTS,
Illinois State Geological Survey, Champaign
RUSSELL STANDS-OVER-BULL,
BP American Production Company, Houston, Texas
TERRY C. WALLACE, JR.,
Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico
THOMAS J. WILBANKS,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee
National Research Council Staff
ANTHONY R. DE SOUZA, Director
PAUL M. CUTLER, Senior Program Officer
ELIZABETH A. EIDE, Senior Program Officer
DAVID A. FEARY, Senior Program Officer
ANNE M. LINN, Senior Program Officer
ANN G. FRAZIER, Program Officer
SAMMANTHA L. MAGSINO, Program Officer
CAETLIN M. OFIESH, Associate Program Officer
RONALD F. ABLER, Senior Scholar
JENNIFER T. ESTEP, Financial and Administrative Associate
VERNA J. BOWEN, Financial and Administrative Associate
JARED P. ENO, Research Associate
NICHOLAS D. ROGERS, Research Associate
TONYA E. FONG YEE, Program Assistant
Preface
The extraordinarily broad scope of the congressional request for advice on coal resources and future coal research and development needs provided a significant challenge for the committee appointed by the National Research Council (NRC). Fortunately, clarifications by staff members from the offices of U.S. Senators Robert C. Byrd and Arlen Specter—the originators of this study—were most helpful, suggesting that the report should be brief and contain limited detail, but with abundant references to other, more comprehensive studies. They also emphasized that a major element of their request was to learn of any potential roadblocks that might impinge on the production or delivery of coal should the nation’s energy requirements dictate that a substantial increase in coal use was needed.
The task for the committee was made easier by the many experts in all aspects of the coal life cycle who freely gave up their time to make presentations in open session. These presentations formed the basis for the committee’s deliberations as it fashioned the findings and recommendations. The committee’s task was also facilitated by the cooperation of the interagency liaison group, established and coordinated by the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), which provided input to the committee at its public meetings and responded to specific questions.
I am truly indebted to the committee members, all of whom remained completely engaged in the entire process from start to finish. All gave generously of their expertise, time, and energy, and provided wit and cheerfulness when they were sorely needed. Collectively, they performed as a skillful team with dedication and determination. On behalf of the committee I thank the NRC staff: David Feary, whose input and guidance was indispensable in producing a focused and
lucid report; Anthony de Souza, Tanya Pilzak, Caetlin Ofiesh, Kristen Daly, and Sandi Schwartz, who assisted with broad guidance and background information; and James Davis, Amanda Roberts, and Nicholas Rogers, who made sure the committee process proceeded efficiently and effectively.
Corale L. Brierley
Chair
Acknowledgments
This report was greatly enhanced by input from the many participants at the public committee meetings held as part of this study—Mike Adamczyk, Carl O. Bauer, Peter J. Bethell, Perry Bissell, Paul Bollinger, Richard Bonskowski, Wanda Burget, Gregory E. Conrad, John Craynon, Rob Donovan, Tom Dower, Mike Eastman, Nick Fedorko, Sara Flitner, Bradford Frisby, Ari Geertsema, Steve Gigliotti, Thomas J. Grahame, Güner Gürtunca, David Hawkins, Peter Holman, Connie Holmes, Mike Hood, James R. Katzer, Larry Kellerman, Julianne M. Klara, Mo Klefeker, Jeffrey L. Kohler, John Langton, John A. Lewis, Alexander Livnat, James Luppens, Gerald H. Luttrell, Maria M. Mitchell, John Moran, M. Granger Morgan, Mike Mosser, John Novak, Karen Obenshain, Bruce Peterson, Brenda S. Pierce, Jacek Podkanski, Craig Rockey, Timothy Rohrbacher, Scott Sitzer, Neil Stiber, Eugene Trisko, Ted Venners, Kimery Vories, Franz Wuerfmannsdobler, and Ben Yamagata. These presentations and the ensuing discussions helped set the stage for the committee’s fruitful discussions in the sessions that followed. We also gratefully acknowledge the people who facilitated our committee meetings, the company personnel who briefed the committee on mine operations and led the committee on mine and plant tours, and the experts who supplied information in response to specific enquiries by the committee—David Aloia, Gene D. Berry, Joe Cerenzia, Becki Dale, Mark Davies, James Dooley, Bob Green, Mark Kamlet, Gary G. Loop, James Manual, Claudia L. Miller, Phillip H. Nicks, Jack C. Pashin, Mark Payne, Joe Vaccari, Marshall Wise, and Connie Zaremsky.
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The
purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their participation in the review of this report:
Heinz H. Damberger, Illinois State Geological Survey (retired), Boulder, Colorado
Mark Davies, Rio Tinto Energy America, Gillette, Wyoming
Thomas V. Falkie, Berwind Natural Resources Corporation (retired), Newtown Square, Pennsylvania
Barbara A. Filas, Knight Piesold and Company, Denver, Colorado
Paul E. Gray, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
R. Larry Grayson, School of Mining and Metallurgy, University of Missouri, Rolla
Howard J. Herzog, Laboratory for Energy and the Environment, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
John N. Murphy, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Dianne R. Nielson, Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Salt Lake City
Lee Saperstein, School of Mines and Metallurgy, University of MissouriRolla (retired), Nantucket, Massachusetts
Stanley C. Suboleski, Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (retired), Midlothian, Virginia
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by William G. Agnew, General Motors Corporation (retired), Corrales, New Mexico, and William L. Fisher, Jackson School of Geosciences, the University of Texas, Austin. Appointed by the National Research Council, they were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.