This document reports results from the initial effort to establish baseline economic performance comparators for a program whose intent is to define, develop, and demonstrate advanced systems suitable for coal resource extraction beyond the year 2000. Systems used in this study were selected from contemporary coal mining technology and from conservative conjectures of year 2000 technology. The analysis was also based on a seam thickness of 6 ft. Therefore, the results are specific to the study systems and the selected seam thickness. To be more beneficial to the program, the effort should textended to other seam thicknesses.iii FOREWORD This document is one of a series which describe systems level requirements for advanced underground coal mining equipment. These requirements are summarized in 'Overall Requirements for an Advanced Underground Coal Extraction System," JPL Publication 80-39 by Martin Goldsmith and Milton L. Lavin. Five areas of performance are discussed:(1) Production cost.(2) Miner safety.(3) Miner health.(4) Environmental impact.(5) Recovery efficiency.The report which follows presents details of a study which extrapolates contemporary coal mining technology to the year 2000. The projections for cost and production capability comprise a so-called moving baseline which will be used to assess compliance with the systems requirement for production cost. Separate projections were prepared for room and pillar, longwall, and shortwall technology all operating under comparable sets of mining conditions. This work is part of an effort to define and develop innovative coal extraction systems suitable for the significant resources remaining in the year 2000. Sponsorship is provided by the Office of Coal Mining, United States Department of Energy via an interagency agreement with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.