Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP)

GHGRP Underground Coal Mines

miner icon The Underground Coal Mines sector consists of all underground coal mines that liberate 36,500,000 actual cubic feet of methane (equivalent to approximately 17,579 metric tons CO2e) or more per year. Facilities in this sector include both underground coal mines under development and those categorized by the Mine Safety and Health Administration as active mines. Surface mines and abandoned mines are excluded from this category. Facility owners or operators must report the total annual methane liberated from ventilation and degasification systems as well as GHG emissions from any other source categories at the facility, such as stationary combustion devices.

Underground Coal Mines — Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Reported to the GHGRP

(all emissions values presented in million metric tons CO2e)
  2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Number of facilities: 117 118 129 128 123
Total emissions (CO2e): 40.4 38.4 40.5 43.2 42.9
Emissions by greenhouse
    gas (CO2e)
  • Carbon dioxide (CO2):
  • Methane (CH4):
  • Nitrous oxide (N2O):

0.2
40.2
**

0.2
38.2
**

0.2
40.3
**

0.5
42.7
**

0.3
42.6
**

** Total reported emissions are less than 0.05 million metric tons CO2e.
CO2 emissions from the combustion of biomass are NOT included in the emissions totals provided above.