Our View: Shift gears on coal

While the “War on Coal” is an attractive title for opposition to using coal as a means of power generation, we think that war has already been fought and decided. What we’re seeing now is the aftermath.

We understand the concern the Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners have shown in the group’s recent letter to Wyoming’s congressional delegation. Coal mining has provided for countless families in southwestern Wyoming. Rock Springs was built upon coal mining, as the historic “Home of Rock Springs Coal” sign in downtown Rock Springs silently illustrates.

However, the free market has dictated that coal is unattractive as a source of energy. Pollution, climate change and other consequences of using coal have caused concern across the planet. Many nations have committed to reducing air emissions through various programs and initiatives. In the U.S., coal power plants are being retired throughout the country even after President Donald Trump and his administration reversed course on many Obama-era policies. According to The Economist, approximately 17,000 megawatts of coal plant capacity have been retired from January 2017 to June 2018. Oregon and Washington states have committed to eliminating coal from their power mix.

Locally, Rocky Mountain Power plans an early retirement for units at the Jim Bridger Power Plant and the Noughton plant in Kemmerer. This announcement was done as the company continues investing in wind turbines, breaking ground on its Seven Mile Wind Farm in Carbon County earlier this month. RMP’s CEO Gary Hoogeveen claims this isn’t due to a “War on Coal,” but because renewables allow for cheaper and more reliable power generation for the company’s customers.

There still may be a future for coal, though not in generating electricity. We’ve heard of the potential for using coal to create carbon fiber, an extremely strong and lightweight material. If possible, this would also make a great fit for the county’s industrial park it seeks to establish east of Rock Springs.

We’ve said this before, but the communities and leaders throughout Sweetwater County have to decide what the future of the county will be. Economically, we don’t see a way to force usage of coal in power generation as the free market continues moving away from it. Therefore, it’s incumbent on each of us to debate and determine the best way to move forward before the inevitable happens.

We still have time, but the clock is ticking.

 

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