Red Lodge Clearinghouse

Spurred by a lawsuit brought on in February by WildEarth Guardians, the Sierra Club and Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action, the agencies formalized an agreement in late August to study the effects of coalbed methane drilling on water resources in the West, something environmentalists have been urging for some time.

"Whenever questions are raised [about the effects of coalbed methane drilling on water], they are often met with ridicule by industry, who says there's no science to prove anything one way or the other," said Jeremy Nichols, the climate and energy program director for WildEarth Guardians. "We think that's an inappropriate response. The lack of information does not mean there is no reason for concern."

The February lawsuit prompted BLM and NAS to meet in Denver in April 2008 to discuss the study (Land Letter, April 17). That meeting ultimately resulted in the recent study agreement, which officially starts Oct. 15 and could cost as much as $560,960 for the up to 21-month study, according to the agreement.

The study was required by the 2005 federal energy bill, which gave BLM and NAS one year to enter into a study agreement. When the agencies had still done nothing three years later, the environmental groups filed the lawsuit.

After the formal agreement was made Aug. 28, the groups dropped the lawsuit.

"Obviously, there are lots of concerns about coalbed methane drilling's effects to groundwater, surface water and drinking water supplies. But there was nothing comprehensive," Nichols said. "We think we're going to get that as a result of this study."

U.S. EPA is also involved with the research. That agency announced plans earlier this week to review water pollution guidelines for coalbed methane extraction as well as coal-fired power plants and unused pharmaceuticals (E&ENews PM, Sept. 8).

The NAS study, to be conducted by the National Research Council, will examine hydraulic, geologic and water quality data as well as production techniques, costs and the impacts to surface water and groundwater, according to the agreement contract and the National Research Council's statement of task. The study will also consolidate existing state and federal research about coalbed methane drilling's effects on water resources, including EPA research.

Coalbed methane is natural gas trapped within shallow coal seams, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It can be extracted from coal and used as an additional coal-based energy resource. But extraction requires dewatering of coal seams, which could contaminate water. That water is then discarded in streams or reinjected into the ground. The dewatering process can also dry up streams and water wells, according to WildEarth Guardians.

But USGS estimates the United States could hold more than 700 trillion cubic feet of coalbed methane reserves, making it an important energy resource. In 2006, coalbed methane accounted for 9.4 percent of all natural gas production in the United States.

"This [study] may change the way we drill in the Rocky Mountain West," Nichols said.

BLM did not provide comment on the study by press time.

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