This is the same gas responsible for recent coalmine accidents, and it can infiltrate the water reservoir if there is too much pumping, which creates a pressure draw down.
Private equity backed 2Co wants to build a new coal plant above the Hatfield coalmine and pump the gas to North Sea oil fields where it can be used for enhanced oil recovery.
They are encouraging drillers to use tainted coalmine water to hydraulically fracture gas wells in the Marcellus Shale formation, with the twin goals of diverting pollution from streams and rivers that now run orange with mine drainage and reducing the drillers' reliance on fresh sources of water.