【正文】 cal wells that are hydraulically stimulated, horizontal boreholes and gob wells drilled over longwall panels. In 1995, Consol produced approximately 688106 m3 of saleable methane from three mines. Methane recovery efficiency at these mines is higher than 60%. Southwestern region The Soldier Canyon Mine in Utah recovered about 106 m3 of methane for sale annually until early 1994, when production was curtailed and gas sales ended due to low market prices. Summary While methane recovery has been economically implemented at the abovedescribed mines, safety and high coal productivity remain the impetus for their degasification efforts. Methane drainage at many gassy mines in the United States is limited or nonexistent. Section 3 of this paper discusses potential avenues for increasing methane recovery and use in the United States and other countries. 8 Germany Germany produced nearly 54 million tons of hard coal in 1995, all from underground mines （ Schiffer, 1995） . Of this total, 43 million tons were mined from the Ruhr Basin in northwestern Germany （ Von Sperber et al., 1996） and most of the remainder was mined from the Saar Basin in southwestern Germany. Until recently, hard coal mining was heavily subsidized in Germany, and the industry’s future is in question （ Schiffer, 1995） . Even mines that are closed, however, can continue to liberate methane for long periods of time. An estimated 109 m3 of methane are liberated annually from underground mining activities in Germany, of which 520106 m3, or 30%, are drained（ 63 IEA, 1994） . About 371106 m, or 71% of all drained methane is used, primarily for heating or power generation. Government officials suggest that as much as 45% of the methane emitted from coal mining activities could be drained and used in a variety of applications. The primary barrier to increased methane recovery is low methane concentrations in the gas mixture. Safety regulations in Germany prohibit any utilization if the methane content is less than 25%. If the average recovery efficiency at German mines is to be increased, it will be necessary to adopt practices that will recover methane in a more concentrated form. 3 Barriers to decreasing coal mine methane emissions There are several barriers to decreasing methane emissions by increasing coal mine methane use. Some are technical, such as low coal permeability, while others are Institutional, such as low gas prices. In a few cases, certain barriers are country orregion specific, but most cases, many of the same barriers exist in a number of countries. This section discusses obstacles to increased coal mine methane use, and potential ways to overe these obstacles. Technical issues Lowpermeability coals Coal seams that exhibit low permeability pose special problems for developing successful methane drainage and recovery systems. Methane desorbs and flows through natural pores and fractures until the gas reaches the mine face or borehole. Stimulation technology that enhances the flow of gases from the seam into a recovery system has been successfully used in the past several years. Early efforts to 9 modify fracturing techniques for application in coal seams were largely unsuccessful （ IEA, 1994） . The current practice of hydraulic stimulation in coals, however, minimizes roof damage while achieving extensive fracturing. Under ideal conditions, 60 to 70% of the methane contained in the coal seam can be removed using vertical degasification wells drilled more than 10 years in advance of mining. These efforts have been successful in the United States and other industrialized countries. Transfer of this technology to other countries can help increase coal mine methane recovery. Economic and institutional issues In addition to the technical obstacles described above, there are a variety of other issues that have prevented coal mine methane recovery from being more widespread. These issues include lack of information, lack of capital, low natural gas prices and risks associated with foreign investment. Some issues are explored below. The key strategy for overing informational barriers in the United States has been to develop outreach programs. Outreach programs work well when panies are shown that they can profit while at the same time reducing emissions or improving mine safety. Examples of outreach programs include the USEPA’s Coalbed Methane Outreach Program, which is conducted in the United States, and the Coalbed Methane Clearinghouses in Poland, China and Russia. These institutions distribute information and link together interested parties, provide technical training, and in some cases perform prefeasibility assessments for specific projects. Lack of information In the United States and other countries, one of the problems that has slowed coal mine methane project development is that some coal mine operators do not have adequate information regarding coal mine methane projects. While much has been published on the subject, methane recovery is still seen as a relatively new concept to many coal operators. A related constraint is that some coal operators simply do not have the time or resources to investigate the potential to develop a profitable project at their own coal mine. Lack of capital Even when a prefeasibility assessment has demonstrated that the economics of a coal mine methane project are attractive, a lack of financing may prevent projects from taking place. Coal panies often do not have surplus capital available to 10 invest in coalbed methane recovery and use projects because available capital must be invested in their primary business of coal production. Additionally, some lending organizations may be unfamiliar with the relatively new concept of coal mine methane recovery and use, and project developers may