Proposed coalbed methane recovery programs in China could reduce emissions by the equivalent of up to 1.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide a year — the annual emissions of up to 330,000 passenger vehicles.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has committed more than USD1 million to assess the viability of recovering and using methane from coal mines in China.

Under its commitment to the Methane to Markets partnership, the EPA is conducting three full-scale feasibility studies at the Luizhang Mine in Anhui Province, a group of six mines in the Songzao coal basin in Chongqing, and a group of six mines in the Hebi region of Henan Province.

Mining coal allows methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide, to escape into the atmosphere. Methane is the primary constituent of natural gas and an important and comparatively clean energy source. Capturing and using coal mine methane, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, conserves energy, enhances mine safety, and provides a new source of revenue for the mine.

Methane to Markets, launched in 2004, is a public/private partnership that reduces greenhouse gas emissions by promoting the cost-effective, near-term recovery and use of methane, while providing clean energy to markets around the world. China and the U.S. were two of the founding members of the partnership, which has grown to include 27 countries and more than 750 private sector entities, financial institutions, nongovernmental agencies and other organizations.