Coalbed Methane Primer Background and Development in the Western U.S.

Presentation given at "API Rocky Mountain CoalBed Natural Gas Forum: Produced Water, April 28-29, 2004, co-sponsored by IPAA and DOE." All rights reserved

United States CBM production grew by 13 percent in 2001 to 1.562 Trillion cubic feet (Tcf). (EIA 2001). CBM will become more important as the demand for natural gas increases, and the focus on domestic production is increased. This 78 page book was prepared for: The U.S. Department of Energy and the National Petroleum Technology Office by ALL Consulting and the Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation. Focusing on coal bed methane in the western U.S. it is divided into three sections.

  • The basics of coal deposition maturation and the development and production of CBM.
  • Discusses the regulatory framework governing development of CBM across the including federal, state and local regulation. It includes a discussion of the regional plan of development and variances along with federal land and resource management practices, Indian trust issues, surface owner agreements and local land uses by region. State oil and gas programs are also presented including typical lease stipulations and field rules.
  • A description of the typical environmental effects associated with CBM development in the west and the mitigation measures that are employed to address these effects.