Documentation of the demonstrated reserve base of coal in the United States. Final report, Volume 1

Abstract

The purpose of this report is to document the methodologies used to develop the 1979 Demonstrated• Reserve Base (DRB) of coal. The audience for whom this. report is intended consists of Energy Information Administration (EIA) personnel involved in the development and analysis of coal reserve/resource data. The audience may also include those government employees and private individuals who use directly the annual coal reserve data published by EIA.All primary source documents used to prepare the 1979 ORB were reviewed.Using the methodologies and documentation found in the 1979 DRB published reportl as a guide, each of the state-level published reserve estimates were re-derived. In those cases where the estimates could not be reproduced, EIA personnel from the Eastern and Western Energy Data Offices were consulted and the differences, for the most part, were resolved.Throughout this report an attempt was made to describe the information flow that was'an integral part of the ORB development. Particular attention and emphasis was given to those instances where deviations from standard, published EIA procedures were used to derive the ORB estimates.The main body of this report summarizes the methodological procedures used to develop each state reserve estimate. The appendices.to the report, found in Volume II, provide a detailed description of the entire ORB process.