Rocky Mountain coal resources and their potential utilization

Coal reserves of the Rocky Mt. area are vast and are more than adequate to meet significantly increasing demands in the immediate future. Practically all of the increase in coal demand for the next decade or so will be in the electric power utility sector. All ranks of coal are available in the area, and from a technological viewpoint, all are suitable for electric power generation. Location of economically recoverable coal deposits, location of generating plants with respect to power demand areas and sources of cooling water, and availability and price of other fuels are the major factors which, individually or in combination, will determine the ultimate selection of Western coal deposits to be developed for electric power generation. Current research activities on the conversion of coal to liquid and gaseous fuels are promising. Most western coals range in rank from lignite through high- volatile bituminous coals and are particularly amenable to conversion.