With coal in free fall, Wyoming faces an uncertain future

[jpak]

https://www.hcn.org/issues/51.13/coal-with-coal-in-free-fall-wyoming-faces-an-uncertain-future

Over the last few months, Wyoming’s struggling coal industry has gone from bad to worse. In May, the third-largest mining company, Cloud Peak, filed for bankruptcy, leaving the pensions and future of hundreds of employees in jeopardy. Less than two months later, Blackjewel, Wyoming’s fourth-largest coal company, abruptly declared bankruptcy, idling mines and putting hundreds out of work.

As the hits against coal pile up, so do questions about the future of Wyoming’s coal mines and the economy they support. With even the Trump administration’s regulatory rollbacks offering no relief, the largest coal-producing state in the country is being forced to grapple with the decline of the industry that has long undergirded its economy.

Wyoming’s politicians have gone to considerable lengths to prop up the coal industry. Now, the state is walking an increasingly threadbare tightrope as it manages coal’s future. Lean too far towards promoting mining, with lax tax collection standards and cleanup requirements, and state and local governments may get stuck with cleaning up the mess the failed businesses leave behind. Tilt towards proactive tax collection and strong reclamation requirements, and risk becoming another factor pushing the coal economy into oblivion.

The depth of the current downturn was unforeseen even a couple years ago, said University of Wyoming economist Rob Godby. The Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan, which sought carbon emission reductions from the power sector, was expected to deal the industry only a minor blow, and it was discarded by the Trump administration, anyway. Instead, it was cheap natural gas and to a lesser extent renewable energy sources — and the resulting shrink in demand for coal — that ended up knocking coal companies to their knees, said Godby.

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womp womp

[guillaumeb]

1. What about Trump's promise to put coal miners back to work?

Will voters in this GOP area ever learn?

Or will the GOP give them welfare payments to buy votes for the GOP as they did for GOP supporting farmers?

[ProudMNDemocrat]

2. Coal dependant states are facing the Survival of the Fittest scenario....

Adapt or Die.

This should be the rallying cry to evolve or face certain economic death. No industry generating jobs and incomes, no economy for a state to draw people to move there.

What is in Wyoming anyways besides Yellowstone National Park, which is one huge mega Volcano anyway?

[paleotn]

3. Once they tasted nat gas, they ain't going back to coal....

Nat gas is cheaper to transport and handle, thus reduced cap investment and maintenance costs. No need for rail yards and expensive unloading and transport equipment. Fair less SO2, NOx and heavy metals produced from combustion, thus, again, lower cap investment and maintenance costs as the need for emissions scrubbers is reduced. No super expensive coal ash storage. No one wants the risk of repeating Duke and TVA's mega coal ash spills. It simply costs so much less per Kwh to produce power from nat gas and with far less headaches that power companies only wish they had switched sooner. Coal isn't coming back...ever.

[msongs]

4. move maybe 50K dems from CA to WY and we could take over, get 2 more senators lol nt

[bronxiteforever]

5. Wyoming is going nowhere fast.

Wyoming has seen the job market decrease by -1.8% over the last year. Future job growth over the next ten years is predicted to be 13.3%, which is lower than the US average of 33.5%.
https://www.bestplaces.net/economy/state/wyoming

[Wellstone ruled]

6. Irony has hit home.

Folks who are fimiliar with Wyoming will notice the massive Wind Towers near Green River and Evanston. Notice a few near the Gillette area a couple years ago,and that area has a natural prevailing Wind much like North Dakota and Eastern South Dakota. Amazing how a whole State has hitched it's economic Future to the Past.


A Economics Professor from the U of Wyoming,did a article about how all the States Youth are leaving to seek jobs in Denver,Minneapolis,and Salt lake. The Brain Drain that will be the death of the State.

[keithbvadu2]

7. No sweat! Trump will save the day! He promised that he will bring coal jobs back.

No sweat! Trump will save the day!

He promised that he will bring coal jobs back.

Keep the faith, coal miners.

Donald knows he can take you for granted.