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<br />~ <br />~ <br />~ <br />~ <br /> <br />of oil. Sections averaging 25 gpt in, Utah are 15 to 150 feet thick <br />and represent 120 billion barrels of oil in-place. Those in Wyoming <br />are 15 to 80 feet thick and represent 12 billion barrels of oil. <br /> <br />The coals of the Upper Colorado River Region (see fig. 2.7) constitute <br />a major portion of total western coal reserves. While the total coal <br />resource has not yet been quantified, additional discoveries every <br />year add to the mining potential of the Region. <br /> <br />Several characteristics of the Region"s coals make them particularly <br />advantageous for use under modern energy requirements and current air <br />pollution regulations. Among these are the low sulfur and somewhat <br />variable ash content, medium to high Btu values, and generally good- <br />quality bituminous and subbituminous coal ranks. <br /> <br />Relative to the entire United States, western coals are far younger <br />in depositional age than are the eastern coals. Furthermore, they tend <br />to be covered by less overburden. Thus, most western coal is lower in <br />rank--subbituminous up ~o the lower divisions of the bituminous rank. <br />The only important anthracite deposit in the Upper Colorado River Region <br />is in Gunnison County, Colorado. <br /> <br />Arizona is the only State that has no known coal deposits of <br />significance in the Upper Basin. Arizona's principal coal-bearing <br />region is the Black Mesa Field which extends south and west of the Upper <br />Colorado River. <br /> <br />Colorado's most significant coal deposits and m~n~ng activities <br />are within the drainage system of the Upper Colorado River Region. The <br />Green River and Sand Wash structural basins in the northwestern part of <br />the State are the leading areas in present producCion and total in-place <br />resources. Colorado coal is of such good quality that it is in demand <br />for steam electric generation and metallurical grade applications. <br />Though there are a great number of underground mines, they tend to be <br />small and produce less than the few larger surface mines. <br /> <br />The major portion of New Mexico's coal activity comes from the San <br />Juan region in the northwest corner of the State. The predominantly <br />surface mines of this region produce coals ranging from subbituminous A <br />to high-volatile C bituminous, none of which is of coking quality. The <br />coal is being used in two nearby power generating plants. In addition, <br />two coal gasification plants are proposed for San Juan County. <br /> <br />In Utah, most of the coal is in the south-central portion of the <br />State. The majority of the mines are underground, and production cur- <br />rently is about 10 million tons per year. Most coals in 'Utah range in <br />rank between 9,800 Btu/ton and 12,600 Btu/ton. Due to the underground <br /> <br />2-10 <br />