Coal bed methane is a by-product of organic decomposition, and it is retrievable.

• A. Coal bed methane is formed when natural gas leaks from underground reservoirs.
• B. Coal bed methane is a by-product of organic decomposition, and it is retrievable.
• C. Coal bed methane is produced by solar heating.
• D. Coal bed methane is a primary fuel used in coal plants.

Answer: (B)

Coal bed methane is methane stored in coal seams that forms as organic material decomposes under anaerobic conditions during coal formation. This methane is adsorbed onto the coal and trapped under pressure, and it can be released and collected when the seam is depressurized or drilled, making it a retrievable natural gas resource. The statement that it is a by-product of organic decomposition and is retrievable accurately reflects both its origin and how it is obtained. The other ideas don’t fit: methane from leaks in underground reservoirs describes conventional natural gas migration rather than CBM in coal seams; solar heating does not generate coal bed methane; and coal plants typically burn coal rather than rely on coal bed methane as their primary fuel.