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<br />I', <br /> <br />I I <br /> <br />o <br />o <br />t..}. <br />~ <br />w <br />QQ <br /> <br />i <br />I"! <br />. ' <br /> <br />I <br />I, <br />,I <br /> <br />l <br />,I <br />I, <br /> <br />II <br />,:j <br /> <br />II <br />I:!: <br />ii <br />1,..'1 <br />I,J <br />II <br />II <br /> <br />'.! <br />I I' <br />I <br /> <br />,', <br />1,1 <br /> <br />1 <br />I' <br />, <br />'I' <br />IT <br />II <br />ill, <br />1,1 <br /> <br />::' <br /> <br />I',: <br /> <br />i <br />'I <br />"i' <br />,;1 <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I, <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />substantial ratio of reserves to annual output, it is becoming increas- <br />ingly difficult to maintain this ratio as the demand for petroleum <br />products continues to grow and new sources of supply become more dif- <br />ficult and costly to find. Industry has recognized the necessity for <br />increasing the percentage of recovery of petroleum from the oil reser- <br />voirs. Several types of secondary-recovery methods have been employed <br />with encouraging results, but still more efficient methods are needed <br />as the average recovery of petroleum by currently practiced production <br />techniques does not exceed 50 percent. Other problems associated with <br />the production and utilization of oil and gas 'include the disposal of <br />oil field brines and refinery wastes, storage: of natural gas and liq- <br />uefied petroleum gases, more efficient use of petroleum and natural <br />gas by improvement of refining and manufacturing processes, the main- <br />tenance of helium reserves, and the improvement of methods of extract- <br />ing and using helium. <br /> <br /> <br />.,"; <br />)1 <br />~'., <br /> <br />5. The plan of investigations and research designed to aid in <br />the solution of the problems set forth above includes surface and sub- <br />surface geologic studies; geothermal and geochemical studies and,re- <br />search; research on improvement of drilling techniques; investigations <br />of production methods devised to recover more of the oil from newly <br />discovered and partly depleted reservoirs; investigations and research <br />to remedy water and air pollution from oil field brines and refinery <br />wastes through more effective disposal and use of these wastes; coop- <br />erative research on basic technical problems pertaining to underground <br />storage of natural gas and liquefied petroleum gases; research on <br />chemistry, refining, and thermodynamics of petroleum; andinvestiga- <br />tions to find and evaluate new sources of helium-bearing natural gas <br />and to improve methods of extracting and using the helium. <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />6. Coal is produced in six of the eight Basins states. The <br />general trend of coal production within the Basins has been downward <br />since 19lB, despite the fact that recoverable 'coal reserves are ade- <br />quate for many hundreds of years at the current or even the peak rate <br />of output. Coal production extremes were recorded for the years 191B <br />and 1952, when 25.5 million tons and 6.5 million tons, respectively, <br />were produced. The decline in coal mining over the past 35 years is <br />attributed mainly to the increasing use of oil and gas for domestic <br />and industrial fuel. <br /> <br />7. The recent expansion of steel production in western states <br />has increased the demand for metallurgical coke, with the result that <br />the production of coal for coke manufacture has increased in the <br />Basins from 831,000 tons in 1940 to nearly 3 million tons in 1951 and <br />1952. This increase has helped to stem the decline in coal output, <br />but increased production costs have resulted in the loss of other <br />markets to oil and gas. Lower cost production and the development of <br />new markets are prerequisites to increased use of the Basins' coal <br />resources. Research in recent years has resulted in the development <br />of improved mining methods, some of which may find application in <br />coal mines of the Basins. Much research has also been conducted on <br />methods of extracting industrial chemicals, gas, synthetic liquid <br /> <br />2 <br />