National Academies Press: OpenBook
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2007. Coal: Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11977.
×

COAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

TO SUPPORT NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY

Committee on Coal Research, Technology, and Resource Assessments to Inform Energy Policy

Board on Earth Sciences and Resources

Division on Earth and Life Studies

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

Washington, D.C.
www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2007. Coal: Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11977.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

500 Fifth Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20001

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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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2007. Coal: Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11977.
×

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.


www.national-academies.org

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2007. Coal: Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11977.
×

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)

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2007. Coal: Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11977.
×

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

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2007. Coal: Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11977.
×

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

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2007. Coal: Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11977.
×

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

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2007. Coal: Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11977.
×

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

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2007. Coal: Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11977.
×

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

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2007. Coal: Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11977.
×

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.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2007. Coal: Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11977.
×
   

 Major Coal Mining and Processing Issues,

 

66

   

 Coal Mining and Processing R&D Programs,

 

71

   

 Findings and Recommendations—Coal Mining and Processing,

 

75

5

 

TRANSPORT OF COAL AND COAL PRODUCTS

 

80

   

 Transportation by Rail,

 

81

   

 Transportation by Truck,

 

84

   

 Waterborne Coal Transportation,

 

84

   

 Transportation of Coal Exports and Imports,

 

86

   

 Electricity Transmission,

 

86

   

 Transport of Coal-Derived Products,

 

88

   

 Findings—Transport of Coal and Coal Products,

 

89

6

 

COAL UTILIZATION

 

91

   

 Coal Utilization Technologies,

 

91

   

 Environmental Impacts of Coal Use,

 

96

   

 Federal Coal Utilization R&D Programs,

 

101

   

 Findings and Recommendation—Coal Utilization,

 

106

7

 

COAL RESEARCH NEEDS AND PRIORITIES

 

108

   

 Societal Issues and Coal,

 

110

   

 Existing Federal Support for Coal-Related R&D,

 

112

   

 Improved Coal Resource, Reserve, and Quality Assessments,

 

116

   

 Research to Support Coal Mining and Processing,

 

118

   

 Transport of Coal and Coal Products,

 

121

   

 Research to Support Coal Utilization,

 

122

   

 Coordination of Coal-Related R&D by Federal Agencies,

 

123

 

 

REFERENCES

 

128

 

 

APPENDIXES

 

 

   

 A  Committee and Staff Biographies

 

139

   

 B  Presentations to the Committee

 

145

   

 C  Federal Support for Coal Research

 

148

   

 D  Data Tables: U.S. and World Coal Reserves

 

155

   

 E  Coal Mining and Processing Methods

 

160

   

 F  Acronyms and Abbreviations

 

167

   

 G  Unit Conversion Factors and Energy Ratings

 

170

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2007. Coal: Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11977.
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Coal will continue to provide a major portion of energy requirements in the United States for at least the next several decades. It is imperative that accurate information describing the amount, location, and quality of the coal resources and reserves be available to fulfill energy needs. It is also important that the United States extract its coal resources efficiently, safely, and in an environmentally responsible manner. A renewed focus on federal support for coal-related research, coordinated across agencies and with the active participation of the states and industrial sector, is a critical element for each of these requirements.

Coal focuses on the research and development needs and priorities in the areas of coal resource and reserve assessments, coal mining and processing, transportation of coal and coal products, and coal utilization.

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