The NMA represents the majority of the coal mining interests in the US, with members such as Consol Energy, Jim Walter Resources, and Peabody Energy.
As part of the VISION program, the NMA developed the "Mining Industry Climate Action Plan," (MICAP) a six-part, industry-wide mobilization strategy to increase efficiency and decrease carbon intensity.
MICAP focuses on carbon dioxide and methane emissions and emphasizes the potential of technology, efficiency and creative reclamation of mine sites to meet the plan's objectives. One of the six modules specifically targets coal mine methane. To date, low concentrations of methane gas in ventilation air have made recovery difficult if not impossible from both an economic and a technical standpoint.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), over the past decade, recovery of coal mine methane by US mines has reduced methane emissions by 30%. This is the equivalent of approximately 25 million tons of CO2 equivalent per year, a 175 million metric ton reduction over the decade. EPA figures for 2001 show US mines recovered and utilized almost 40 billion cubic feet (1.13 Bm3) or about 80% of methane drained from active underground mines.
The MICAP strategy commits NMA members to maintaining the level of coal mine methane reductions achieved over the last decade. Other efforts will be directed towards developing, testing and demonstrating new technologies to capture ventilation air methane. The goal will be to confirm and improve the technical and economic feasibility of the technologies needed to recover these emissions.
In describing the effort, NMA CEO and President Jack Gerard said, "MICAP is a thorough and inventive way forward for addressing the climate issue throughout all segments of the mining industry. America's mining companies are committed to showing that targeted research, operating efficiency improvements and technological innovations are the world's most effective alternatives to out-dated command-and-control methodologies that too often exact harsh economic penalties."
