Closed-loop CO2 injection/coalbed methane production project cold cut 'global warming,' hike gas supply.

With the U.S. and Canada being among nations commit-ted to cutting back on greenhouse gas emissions, a fast-track initiative has been initiated that could create significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, the chief "global warming" culprit among exhaust gases discharged from coal-burning power plants.

The "kicker," is that experimentation this year will look into injecting such C[O.sub.2] emissions into deep coal seams to displace and produce methane gas, which would be used to fire the power plants instead of coal. The lower C[O.sub.2] emitted from that process would then be transported for injection into the coal beds to release still more methane.

If the results are cost-effective, as the groups involved believe, coalbed …