TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - BIOTECHNOLOGY - Preferred Method: One or more indiscriminate microbial population stimulation amendment is chosen from corn syrup, emulsified oil, lactate, fresh milk, spoiled milk, and any of their combinations. The method further involves introducing one or more additional microbial population stimulation amendment. One or more additional microbial population stimulation amendment (A1) is chosen from nitrogen, phosphorus, vitamins, organic carbon, biotin, folic acid, pyrodoxine hydrochloride, thiamine hydrochloride, riboflavin, nicotinic acid, DL-calcium pantothenate, vitamin B12, p-aminobenzoic acid, lipoic acid, biowastes, lactate, milk, returned milk, nitrogen, phosphorus, vitamins, salts, micronutrients, surfactants, acids, bases, oxidants, acetic acid, sodium hydroxide, percarbonate, peroxide, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, hydrated sodium carbonate, and any of their combinations. The step of introducing one or more indiscriminate microbial population stimulation amendment to the hydrocarbon-bearing formation having the at least two microbial populations includes injecting recycled water carrying one or more indiscriminate microbial population stimulation amendment into the hydrocarbon-bearing formation. The recycled water comprises produced water, groundwater, or water from coal bed methane production. The step of starving one or more of at least two boosted microbial populations involves discontinuing the introduction of one or more indiscriminate microbial population stimulation amendment to the hydrocarbon-bearing formation. The method further involves introducing a sulfate reduction competition shield amendment into the hydrocarbon-bearing formation. The sulfate reduction competition shield amendment is chosen from nitrite, ferrous iron, and any of their combinations. The hydrocarbon-bearing formation is chosen from oil shale, coal, coal seam, waste coal, coal derivatives, lignite, peat, oil formations, tar sands, petroleum sludge, drill cuttings and hydrocarbon-contaminated soil. At least two microbial populations comprises indigenous microbial population. The step of selectively sustaining one or more boosted microbial population involves stimulating one or more boosted microbial population. At least two microbial populations comprises one or more methanogen population. The step of generating methane from one or more boosted microbial population involves microbially converting hydrocarbons to methane. The hydrocarbon-bearing formation is located in an in-situ or ex-situ methane production environment. In the method of ex-situ enhancing biogenic methane production, the step of introducing one or more microbial population stimulation amendment to the ex-situ methane production environment containing the hydrocarbon-bearing formation involves injecting recycled water carrying one or more microbial population stimulation amendment into the ex-situ methane production environment containing the hydrocarbon-bearing formation. The step of introducing one or more microbial population stimulation amendment to the ex-situ methane production environment containing the hydrocarbon-bearing formation involves introducing a sulfate reduction competition shield amendment into the ex- situ methane production environment. The sulfate reduction competition shield amendment is chosen from nitrite, ferrous iron, and any of their combinations. One or more microbial population is extracted with the hydrocarbon-bearing formation. The ex-situ methane production environment comprises a bioreactor. The step of stimulating one or more microbial population of the extracted hydrocarbon-bearing formation with one or more microbial population stimulation amendment involves increasing organic matter concentrations within the ex-situ methane production environment, and feeding one or more microbial population. The step of stimulating one or more microbial population of the extracted hydrocarbon-bearing formation with one or more microbial population stimulation amendment involves creating a series of metabolic interactions among one or more microbial population with the introduction of one or more microbial population stimulation amendment. One or more microbial population comprises one or more methanogen population. The step of generating methane from the stimulated microbial population involves microbially converting hydrocarbons to methane. One or more microbial population stimulation amendment comprises one or more predetermined microbial population stimulation amendment. The predetermined microbial population stimulation amendment is chosen from coal specific predetermined amendment, oil shale specific predetermined amendment, lignite specific predetermined amendment, coal seam specific predetermined amendment, waste coal specific predetermined amendment, coal derivative specific predetermined amendment, peat specific predetermined amendment, oil formation specific predetermined amendment, tar sand specific predetermined amendment, petroleum sludge specific predetermined amendment, drill cutting specific predetermined amendment, and hydrocarbon-contaminated soil specific predetermined amendment. In the method of universal enhancement of biogenic methane production, the predetermined microbial population stimulation amendment comprises ingredients chosen from (A1). The step of introducing one or more predetermined microbial population stimulation amendment to the hydrocarbon-bearing formation involves injecting one or more predetermined microbial population stimulation amendment into the hydrocarbon-bearing formation. The step of introducing one or more predetermined microbial population stimulation amendment to the hydrocarbon-bearing formation involves injecting recycled water carrying one or more predetermined microbial population stimulation amendment into the hydrocarbon-bearing formation. The step of introducing one or more predetermined microbial population stimulation amendment to the hydrocarbon-bearing formation involves introducing a sulfate reduction competition shield amendment to the hydrocarbon-bearing formation. The step of stimulating one or more microbial population of the hydrocarbon-bearing formation with one or more predetermined microbial population stimulation amendment involves increasing organic matter concentrations within the hydrocarbon-bearing formation, and feeding the one or more microbial population. The step of stimulating one or more microbial population of the hydrocarbon-bearing formation with the one or more predetermined microbial population stimulation amendment involves creating a series of metabolic interactions among one or more microbial population with the introduction of one or more predetermined microbial population stimulation amendment. In the method of in-situ enhancing biogenic methane production in-situ enhancing biogenic methane production, one or more microbial population stimulation amendment is chosen from sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, hydrated sodium carbonate, nahcolite containing amendments, trona containing amendments, and any of their combinations. The step of injecting liquid through the fractured oil shale formation involves injecting water or recycled water through the fractured oil shale formation. The microbial population stimulation amendment comprises an indigenous microbial population stimulation amendment. The step of injecting liquid through the fractured oil shale formation involves injecting liquid and one or more additional amendment through oil shale formation. The additional amendment comprises sulfate reduction competition shield amendment. The step of stimulating one or more microbial population in the oil shale formation with one or more microbial population stimulation amendment involves increasing organic matter concentrations within the oil shale formation, and feeding one or more microbial population. The step of stimulating one or more microbial population in the oil shale formation with one or more microbial population stimulation amendment involves creating a series of metabolic interactions among microbial populations with one or more microbial population stimulation amendment. The method further involves introducing one or more indiscriminate microbial population stimulation amendment to the oil shale formation having at least two microbial populations, microbially consuming one or more indiscriminate microbial population stimulation amendment by at least two microbial populations, blanket boosting at least two microbial populations of oil shale formation from consumption of one or more indiscriminate microbial population stimulation amendment, microbially depleting one or more indiscriminate microbial population stimulation amendment, starving one or more of at least two boosted microbial population, selectively reducing the starved one or more of at least two boosted microbial populations, and selectively sustaining one or more boosted microbial population. The oil shale formation comprises an amendment containing upper layer and an oil shale layer. The step of fracturing the oil shale formation involves fracturing the amendment-containing upper layer of oil shale formation. The method further involves injecting liquid through the fractured amendment-containing upper layer of the oil shale formation, and delivering one or more amendment from fractured upper layer to oil shale layer with liquid injection. Preferred System: The biogenic methane production system further comprises one or more introduced additional microbial population stimulation amendment. The introduced additional microbial population stimulation amendment is chosen from (A1). The indiscriminate microbial population stimulation amendment delivered to the hydrocarbon-bearing formation environment comprises indiscriminate microbial population stimulation amendment injected into the hydrocarbon-bearing formation environment in recycled water. In the ex-situ biogenic methane production system, one or more introduced microbial population stimulation amendment in the ex-situ methane production environment is introduced by a recycled water injection element. The recycled water injection element comprises a produced water injection element, groundwater injection element, or coal bed methane water injection element. The system further comprises an increase in organic matter concentration of the ex-situ methane production environment. The universal biogenic methane production system further comprises an increase in organic matter concentration of the hydrocarbon-bearing formation environment. The in-situ biogenic methane production system further comprises liquid injection element. The liquid injection element comprises water injection element or recycled water injection element. The in-situ biogenic methane production system further comprises additional amendment injection element. The additional amendment injection element comprises elements chosen from (A1). The additional amendment injection element comprises sulfate reduction competition shield amendment injection element. The in-situ biogenic methane production system further comprises increase in organic matter concentration of the oil shale formation. The biogenically generated methane in the oil shale formation derived from one or more microbial population stimulation amendment and one or more microbial population comprises biogenically generated methane derived from series of metabolic interactions among one or more microbial population. The in-situ biogenic methane production system further comprises one or more indiscriminate microbial population stimulation amendment delivered to the oil shale formation, one or more starved microbial population in the oil shale formation, and one or more sustained boosted microbial population in the oil shale formation. The oil shale formation fracture element comprises an amendment containing upper layer fracture element. The in-situ biogenic methane production system further comprises an upper layer amendment delivery element from the fractured upper layer to the oil shale layer.