Coal news and updates

Governor says he's committed to marketing Wyoming coal in the U.S.

Wyoming Govenor Mark Gordon listens at The State Capitol Building for the State Canvasing Board Meeting to certify the primary election results on Wednesday in Cheyenne.

GILLETTE — Gov. Mark Gordon told industry representatives and Gillette residents last week that he is committed to marketing Wyoming coal domestically amid shrinking demand for coal in the U.S.

“Our future depends on our ability to market that coal. … We have got to get people to understand coal is our future, and it’s important,” Gordon said.

Despite new carbon dioxide emission mandates issued by the EPA and some Wyoming coal customer states choosing natural gas as a relatively cheaper fuel option, Gordon said coal production could recover, even if the production technology changed to reduce carbon emissions or was incorporated into alternative uses.

“There is so much more we can do,” Gordon said. “We don’t just have to burn it. … I’ve also been talking with Boeing about what are the possibilities that we can do carbon engineering, and (build) wings and car parts. We know we can do this now.”

Gordon spoke alongside Campbell County Commissioner Jim Ford and coal industry professionals at a forum at Cam-plex’s Energy Hall about the state of the energy industry in Wyoming.

The forum, titled “Cowboy State Economy: Keeping Wyoming Energy Strong,” featured a string of presentations on the country’s growing energy consumption and coal’s declining share of the fuel market.

Coal production in Campbell County had increased since the 1970s, but has been steadily in decline since 2009, said Ford, the Campbell County commissioner. According to the Wyoming State Geological Survey, the state hit its coal production peak in 2008, with 466 million short tons mined.

In 2023, renewable energy matched coal as a source of energy consumption in the U.S. Each accounted for 9% of energy consumption, for a total of 18% of energy consumed, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Nuclear electric power consumption also reached 9% in 2023.

In a press briefing following the forum, Gordon said he’s been working to “rejuvenate domestic uranium” for the past several years. He said he’s expressed to Connecticut’s governor his interest in providing Wyoming-based labor to build a nuclear power plant for that state.

“The general acceptance at this point is the technology is much better; the affordability of these plants is designed to be mass-produced, as opposed to custom,” Gordon said. “All of these things augur pretty well for nuclear being a big part of the future.”