Leases to allow capture and use of methane from coal mines

DENVER — Methane gas that would otherwise be vented into the atmosphere from local coal mines might now be captured through newly created lease terms.

The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management drafted these stipulations, as part of their oil and gas lease sale, to allow for the capture and use of methane, which makes up 16 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions from human activities, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

On Monday, the BLM and Forest Service announced their Aug. 14 sale will include 55,186 acres in 31 parcels in the Roan Plateau area — a decision Colorado lawmakers and citizen groups vehemently opposed. Also for sale will be 18,366 acres in 15 parcels on Forest Service lands in the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests. The parcels overlie existing federal coal leases, including the West Elk Mine.

Environmental group, Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action, which in the last several months petitioned the Forest Service to look at the viability of methane capture related to the West Elk Mine, called the stipulations “a positive step forward.”

By offering these terms, the federal government seems to acknowledge the viability of capturing methane for energy, said Clean Air Action director Jeremy Nichols. Whether this move leads to long-term solutions to address greenhouse-gases remains open, he said.

The federal agencies acknowledged the need to do something about the considerable release of methane from coal mines, said BLM spokesman Jim Sample. Stipulations were drafted in part to address both safety and environmental concerns, he said.

Without these terms and conditions in place, methane could not be legally captured and used, said Lee Ann Loupe, GMUG spokeswoman. “We’ve been working for the past year and half to remove some of the barriers to capturing and using methane gas” yet also preserve the safety of mine workers, she said.  Although the leases have been offered, Loupe said the claiming of such leases is still voluntary.

One of the West Elk’s drainage wells released 13 to 17 million cubic feet of methane per day, according to a 2007 letter from the EPA. The agency supported the idea of captured methane as a valuable energy source and urged the Forest Service to document the benefits of putting the lands up for a new gas lease.

BLM acts as the leasing agent for mineral rights on all federal lands. The Forest Service selects lands available for lease and the BLM manages the lease sales. The federal government has paid $2.39 billion in mineral royalties, bonus payments and rental fees to Colorado since 1922, according to the BLM.

Statewide, the bureau accounts for about 13 percent of new oil and gas leasing activity. In 2007, the state of Colorado processed 6,386 applications for drilling permits, with 827 on federal lands or federal mineral holdings; the remaining wells are on state-owned or private lands, the BLM noted.

Lease sale information is available online at:  www.blm.gov/co/st/en/BLM_Programs/oilandgas/leasing.html.

Contact Lisa Huynh via email at lisah@montrosepress.com