This proposed action would make available, in the eastern US, a low Btu gas produced from coal in place for the generation of electrical power. One site would be selected to test the feasibility of producing 20 megawatts of electrical energy from underground coal gasification. This development would produce both direct and indirect changes in the manner in which the energy value from coal is normally extracted. Thin coal seams, which in some eastern areas is considered uneconomic to develop, could be converted from a coal resource to a coal reserve. The entire process will be closely controlled and monitored to optimize the gasification phase as well as to minimize any environmental degradation. The first year expenditure will be one million dollars. The total development and evaluation will require ten million dollars and four to five years for completion.