"The proposed project involves design, construction and operation of a series of retorts and collection of data from an array of instrumentation installed in each retort. The basic rock fragmentation and retort operating problems will be worked out on relatively small retorts that will be 10 to 20 feet wide by 10 to 15 feet thick by 30 to 80 feet long under 10 to 20 feet of overburden. Basic parameters to be varied include width, thickness, and length of retorts and thickness of overburden. Air flow rates and retorting rates will be varied, and various blasting schemes to optimize fragmentation and the distribution of permeability will be investigated. At the end of each retort run the data will be interpreted and evaluated and the design of the next retort and of its method of operation will be improved. As experience is gained, the retorts will be progressively scaled up. When operation of a number of large retorts has been successfully accomplished, the research project will be ended. The process research and development part of the project is currently under way and is estimated to be completed in October,1979 and to involve construction and operation of approximately eighteen retorts of progressively increasing size. Construction and operation of three to five commercial demonstration size retorts is estimated to be completed during 1981. The project is broken up into six phases. The first phase has been completed and Phase II is scheduled for completion by October 31, 1976. At the end of each phase an evaluation of technical progress will be made. Costs of the next phase will then be estimated in detail and operational plans and retort designs refined. A decision will then be made by the participants in the project as to whether or not to proceed to the next phase. Environmental impacts that will be present as a result of the project are slight, topography disturbance, air emission from the excess process gas flare, and possible contamination of ground and surface waters. These impacts and their control will be discussed in more detail in the body of this report."