China Expanding Coal-Bed Methane Developments With Foreign Partners - Reuters

[hatrack]

Yeah, THAT'LL help those water shortages!

:eyes:

BEIJING, Sept 24 (Reuters) - China has expanded foreign firms' opportunities to develop coal bed methane gas with local partners by ending China United Coalbed Methane Corp's exclusive rights to foreign cooperative deals, the government said on Monday.

China boasts coal bed methane reserves of 36 trillion cubic metres, the world's third largest after Russia and Canada, according to the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planner.

But utilisation of the gas is at an early stage and each year large quantities are pumped into the atomsphere -- where it contributes to global warming -- to avoid explosions in mines.

A regulatory amendment published on the government's Web site (www.gov.cn) said that, in addition to China United, other companies designated by the State Council, or cabinet, would also have rights to cooperate with foreign partners to collect the gas. The amendment, approved and signed by Premier Wen Jiabao on Sept. 18, did not name the additional companies.

EDIT

http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKPEK3277020070924

[madrchsod]

1. the faster the herd gets thinned out, the healthier the rest will be

sometime in late this century or earlier in the next there`s going to be a rather nasty reduction in the human population...

[hogwyld]

2. The way things are going

It's going to be a WHOLE lot sooner than that. I'm thinking of 15 to 20 years, we're going to have a population correction.