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; . BRIEFING PAPER AQUATRAIN PROJECT . co ::i) ',," ~ C_', C) The AQUATRAIN Project is composed of two components at this time: (1) a coal slurry pipeline named Western Resource Transport and (2) various saline water projects. Western Resource Transport is an approximately l,180-mile-long liquid carbon dioxide/coal slurry pipeline that, will link the vast Powder River Basin coalfields with the port of Long Beach. The saline water projects are proposals for transporting saline water by pipe- line ,to points of beneficial industrial use in the Colorado River Basin. The.slurry pipeline and saline water projects are part of a combined effort which melds the respective tal.en~s and reso,urces of government and private industry to help solve a number of the Nation's economic, environmental, and social problems. Aquatrain, Inc., of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation are jointly planning and studying the proj- ects. This cooperation between the public and private sectors began in 1980 when private industry proposed the concept of a coal transport line using saline water as the carrier medium. In 1982, Aquatrain, Inc., and the Bureau of Reclamation entered into a cooperative agreement to investigate the possibility. Subsequently, liquid carbon dioxide has replaced saline water as the medium due to its greater efficiency and fewer environmental and social impacts. Salinity control remains as a vital part of the total effort, as Federal and state governments strive to meet objectives for improving Colorado River water quality. Reclamation is studying possible uses for saline water in Wyoming, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah and will identify feasible opportunities in 1985. The Basin States, through the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum, support the continued study of the projects for the potential beneficial saline water uses to be realized. Preliminary analy- sis shows potential for diverting saline water before it enters the river and carrying it to locations for uses such as powerplant cooling, oil shale recovery, and potash solution mining. . The goal of the Western Resource Transport Project is to provide an alter- native, economical transportation mode to deliver western U.S. coal to markets. The pipeline will increase western coal production, stimulate employment, and aid the Nation's economy by making U.S. coal again com- petitive in export markets. Pipeline delivery of coal to a California port could save Pacific Rim consumers 20 percent-on coal ($50 to $60 million per year) compared to current supplies from other nations. In addition, the U.S./Japanese balance of trade will be improved. U.S. imports of foreign oil will also be reduced as carbon dioxide available at the pipeline terminus will be used to enhance oil recovery in the Los Angeles Basin. Wyoming's Powder River Basin was selected as the pipeline's initiation point based on results of various feasibility-level studies, including market research, engineering studies, cost estimates, and financial analy- ses. Pipeline capacity will be used primarily for export to Pacific Rim nations. The uncertainty of U.S. markets have caused them to. be a secon- dary option; however, proposals for domesic use will be entertained from coal suppliers and users.