In the fall of 1972 , the Laramie Energy Research Center of the Bureau of Mines (now the Energy Research and Development Administration) initiated an in situ coal gasification experiment in Hanna, Wyoming. The objective was to ascertain if a low-Btu gas which would be competitive with other energy sources could be produced using present technology. If such a process were feasible it could provide an alternative to the hazards, costly transportation, and environmental objections of current coal mining technology.