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The coal mines above Redstone in Pitkin County once provided jobs and an economic engine to our community. Now abandoned, the mines are venting large amounts of methane into the atmosphere.
CORE is collaborating with
Delta Brick & Climate Co. to gain more understanding of methane emissions escaping from the mines and explore effective solutions to tackle this challenge.
In 2023, comprehensive methane release data was successfully collected from various sites throughout Coal Basin, confirming significant amounts of gas escaping into the atmosphere. Mitigating methane emissions at Coal Basin could be one of the most significant efforts toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions in our communities and propelling us closer to achieving our climate action goals.
In the spring of 2024, we hosted presentations in Redstone and Basalt, Colorado, to share our findings from the data collection that took place at Coal Basin in 2023, as well as our recommendations for mitigation moving forward. The feedback collected from our outreach efforts will help frame our application to the
US Forest Service to request approval to move forward with mitigation efforts.
Click the button below to download our presentation slides and scroll down to learn more.
Methane is a colorless, odorless, and potent greenhouse gas that occurs naturally and is also produced through human activities, such as livestock farming, landfills, and fossil fuel extraction - like coal mining.
During coal mining activities, methane is released from the coal and surrounding rock strata. Once a mine is closed or abandoned, methane can continue to escape from various portals made during the mining process and natural openings in the earth.
While methane remains in the atmosphere for a shorter period compared to carbon dioxide, it is far more effective at trapping heat, which leads to global warming and climate change. According to the
EPA, methane is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.
Methane contributes to more than 25% of current global warming. Along with other greenhouse gas emissions, its presence in the atmosphere is escalating temperatures, triggering severe and erratic weather patterns. This results in prolonged droughts, rapid wildfires, glacial melt, rising sea levels, and more, reshaping our environment and jeopardizing our future. Since most of the methane is caused by human activity we can reduce it.
Cutting regional methane emissions by 25% by 2030 could help us meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C.
In 2023, methane release data was collected from various sites throughout Coal Basin. From our research, we estimate that 1,950 tons of methane are escaping from Coal Basin each year. That’s equivalent to 36,456 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven for one year or nearly 33% of all the other emission sources in Pitkin County combined.*
*Calculated based on the
2020 Pitkin County Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report & the
EPA Greenhouse Gases Equivalencies Calculator.
The Coal Basin project team estimates that we can mitigate 20% of the methane emissions being released from Coal Basin through a few different techniques. We believe that these efforts will bring the highest return on investment with the least amount of impact on the environment and community. Our recommendations include:
We are preparing our proposal for a permit request that we will submit this year to the
US Forest Service. The proposal will include a request to capture and mitigate methane at Coal Basin and an outline of our intended goals and efforts based on data collection and researched mitigation options.
Coming soon.
CORE is drafting its proposal to submit to the USFS for approval to begin mitigation efforts at Coal Basin.
CORE hosted two community events in Basalt and Redstone, Colorado. We presented data findings and methane mitigation options.
The project team conducted research at Coal Basin to learn more about where methane is being released and in what quantities. This information is currently being analyzed and will be presented to the community in early 2024.
CORE received approval for our permit request from the White River National Forest to begin research at Coal Basin.
CORE received the final contract documents from the U.S. Department of Energy to proceed with the project and use the $1.2 million dollars in funding that was awarded in 2021. Funding will be used in phases and in alignment with the criteria to move forward with our research at Coal Basin.
CORE hosted ten community meetings and hikes in Aspen, Carbondale, and Redstone to engage attendees in discussions about how research could be conducted at Coal Basin. Feedback received from attendees was used to frame the data-gathering phase of the project.
CORE was awarded a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to pursue research on the methane gas release from the discontinued mines at Coal Basin near Redstone, Colorado.
The leading organization coordinating research and data collection at Coal Basin. Delta Brick will report their findings to our funders and community throughout the course of the project.
A key funder and supporter of the Coal Basin Methane Project. The US Department of Energy oversees the Methane Emissions Reduction Program.
CORE’s platinum business sponsor and lead fiscal partner of the Coal Basin Methane Project.
129 Emma Rd, Unit B, Basalt, CO 81621
PO Box 2449 | Basalt, CO 81621
Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Community Office for Resource Efficiency