Coal Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy (2007) / Chapter Skim
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7 Coal Research Needs and Priorities
7 Coal Research Needs and Priorities
Pages 108-127
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From page 108... ...
projections by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
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technology is available to sequester CO2 in geological formations. Overall, the review of current domestic and international coal use forecasts presented in Chapter 2 reveals that potential future constraints on greenhouse gas (especially CO2)
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SOCIETAL ISSuES AND COAL Two societal issues that occur across multiple components of the coal fuel cycle are (1) the community impacts of coal mining, transport, and utilization; and (2)
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This, coupled with declining funding for academic research on mining and mineral engineering issues, has resulted in fewer accredited programs at the technology and engineering levels and a decrease in the number of graduates and postgraduates from these programs. There is now a substantial shortage of technically trained personnel in the mining and mineral engineering TABLE 7.1 Age Distribution of Employees in the Coal Mining Industry in 2005 Number Cumulative Age Employed percentage percent 16-19 1,000 1.2 1.2 20-24 3,000 3.7 4.9 25-34 13,000 15.8 20.7 35-44 16,000 19.5 40.2 45-54 36,000 44.0 84.2 55-64 13,000 15.8 100.0 65+ 0 0 Total 82,000 100 NOTE: The median age for mining employees was 46.1 years, com pared with 40.7 years for the overall workforce.
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The data were analyzed by the committee, and the committee's interpretations of the data were sent back to agency staff for confirmation. The committee categorized R&D budgets according to the different stages of the coal fuel cycle -- resource and reserve assessment, coal mining and processing, coal mining safety and health, environmental protection and reclamation, transport of coal and coal-derived products (including electricity transmission)
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Geological Survey 9,700,000d 9,700,000 Total 9,751,000 1,328,000 24,398,000 9,924,000 48,730,000 444,011,000 538,142,000 NOTE: Numbers are rounded to nearest thousand. aOf the coal-related projects undertaken during the 8-year history of the Mining Industry of the future program (1999-2006)
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Geological Survey [USGS]
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Geological Survey 9,700,000 12,476,000 –22% 13,580,000 –29% NOTES: Numbers are rounded to nearest thousand, all in constant 2005 dollars. NSf basic research awards, because they are distributed over a range of programs from different directorates, were not suitable for trend analysis.
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. Although most coal-producing states have geological surveys that collect data to categorize their coal resources, in most cases these organizations lack the personnel and funding for comprehensive coal resource and reserve investigations; most state coal resource investigations have been undertaken in cooperation with the USGS, BLM, or OSM.
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The U.S. Geological Survey already undertakes limited programs that apply modern methods to basin-scale coal reserve and quality assessments.
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Similarly, underground coal mines will have to access seams that are deeper, thinner, or thicker, generally with higher gas content and potentially more difficulties in control of the associated strata (i.e., ground control)
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Most mining health and safety research by the federal government is carried out by the Mining program at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Technology-related activities within the Mine Safety and Health Administration are limited to technical support and training services for its personnel and those from the mining industry.
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coal mines since the mid-1970s, production and productivity increases in recent years have been small or nonexistent as mining companies and equipment manufacturers made only incremental improvements. Over the past decade, there has been little R&D directed toward truly advanced mining technologies and at present, only 0.2 percent of total federal coal-related R&D funding is directed toward development of the advanced mining technologies and practices that are necessary to optimize utilization of the nation's coal resource.
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This is at least partly due to the relatively small market that the coal mining industry represents to potential technology suppliers and the scarcity of coal mining research at academic institutions and national laboratories. Recommendation: There should be renewed support for advanced coal mining and processing research and development to optimize use of the nation's coal resources by increasing the amount of coal that is economi cally minable through technological advances that accommodate health, safety, and environmental requirements.
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Research is needed to better understand the factors that control these large and complex networks to minimize the risks of cascading system disruptions. RESEARCH TO SuPPORT COAL uTILIzATION Although the committee's task was broad and encompassed the entire coal fuel cycle, the congressional framers of this study requested that it focus primarily on the upstream aspects of the coal fuel cycle.
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There should be close cooperation and coordination among the USGS, the Carbon Sequestration program managed by DOE's Office of fossil Energy, and the states involved in the Regional Carbon Sequestration partnerships. COORDINATION OF COAL-RELATED R&D By FEDERAL AgENCIES One component of this study was the specific requirement for the committee to evaluate whether a broad-based, coordinated, multiagency coal research and development program is required and, if so, to examine options for supporting and implementing such a program (see Box 1.1)
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(see Box 4.3) , the DOE-EERE Mining Industry of the future program, as well as the existing coal-related research programs in federal agencies.
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The Regional Carbon Sequestration partnership's program, administered by DOE's Office of fossil Energy, provides a model for coordinated R&D involving federal and state government agencies, industry, and national laboratories. • The committee does not recommend a single "mega-agency" approach as the basis for coordinated coal-related R&D.
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The committee estimates that this will require additional funding of approximately $10 million per year. • NIOSH should lead an expanded health and safety program, in cooperation with MSHA and the coal industry, to address a range of specific mine safety issues (e.g., ventilation, roof control, escape and rescue, communications systems, training)
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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, and it is impera tive that policy makers are provided with accurate information describ ing the amount, location, and quality of the coal resources and reserves that will be available to fulfill these energy needs. It is also important that we extract our coal resources efficiently, safely, and in an environ mentally responsible manner.
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