Coalbed Methane

Rancher Orin Edwards scoops water from a discharge pipe linked to several methane wells along the Belle Fourche river near Gillette, Wyo. Tiny bubbles of gas give the water a cloudy appearance. Millions of gallons of water are pulled from below-ground coal seams to extract the gas, causing water disposal concerns and possibly emptying aquifers in the drought-stricken west.

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Filename: Gas_23.jpg
Copyright: © Kevin Moloney, 2002
Image Size: 6000x2446 / 6.6MB; methane gas resource drill well roughneck energy environment wildlife utility coal coalbed methane Powder River pollution
Contained in galleries: Wyoming

Rancher Orin Edwards scoops water from a discharge pipe linked to several methane wells along the Belle Fourche river near Gillette, Wyo. Tiny bubbles of gas give the water a cloudy appearance. Millions of gallons of water are pulled from below-ground coal seams to extract the gas, causing water disposal concerns and possibly emptying aquifers in the drought-stricken west.