As part of a regional assessment of the coalbed methane potential in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, two boreholes from the Fernie Basin have been studied in detail. The coals intersected range from medium to low volatile bituminous and are dominated by vitrinite and inertinite macerals. Vitrinite reflectance ranged from 1.42 to 1.83% and 1.33 to 1.60% Rmax for boreholes KPP 90-1 and 90-2 respectively, and maximum gas desorption values approached 12 cm3/g in both boreholes. Gas desorption values were lower than expected in borehole KPP 90-1, probably due to the stripping of gas by water flushing, an observation supported by the presence of diagenetic kaolinite filling voids in the coal matrix in this well. Desorption values primarily reflect mineral matter content; the type of organic matter and the mineralogy of the coals show subtle and contradictory trends relative to gas desorption, probably reflecting the role of other processes, including water flushing, in controlling both the adsorption and desorption of coalbed methane. Adsorption isotherms indicate that coals from the Fernie Basin have high potential to adsorb large volumes of methane.