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My name is Taku Ide and I strongly support implementing protocols
to reduce methane from abaondoned and active coal mines. I had the
opportunity to study about methane flow within coal seams under the
guidance of Professor Lynn Orr (nominated by President Obama to be
the next Under Secretary of Science at the DOE) at Stanford
University as a Ph.D. student in Petroleum Engineering.

During my career at Stanford, we conclusively measured methane
seepage through coal seams to the atmosphere as a result of
anthropogenic activities. We suspected at the time that such
seepage was prevalent all throughout the U.S. 

Since graduating from my program, I have made several high-order
measurements of methane seeps from coal seams in Colorado, New
Mexico, and on Indian Reservations. Our results confirmed that
methane seepages from coal seams occur in many states, and at many
active and abandoned coal mines. Reducing such emissions would be a
positive step towards preventing further increases in GHG
concentrations in the atmosphere.

The California Air Resource Board's compliance offset protocol for
mine methane projects provides key economic driver that allows
methane to be destroyed from leaky coal mines. I fully support the
mine methane protocol.