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Three years of promises by President Trump to save coal haven't been able to overcome the reality of a declining market. Newly released federal data show U.S. coal production hit its lowest level in four decades in 2019, as power companies and consumers switch to cheaper and cleaner energy sources. Last year's seven percent drop brought total production to its lowest point since 1978, when a strike by coal miners halted production for three months.
2020 is on track to be even worse for American coal, as the economic collapse caused by coronavirus leads utilities to retire coal plants even sooner, and energy analysts recommend new coal-to-solar financing methods that let utilities skip natural gas as a "bridge" fuel. A new report from the Western Organization of Resource Councils found that cleaning up land disturbed by coal mining could create thousands of jobs for former miners, so long as regulators hold mining companies accountable for remediation as mines close.
In Colorado, the future of the state's newest coal plant, Comanche 3, is in doubt. The plant, which just opened in 2010, is now the subject of an investigatory docket by the state's Public Utility Commission. Comanche 3 has been plagued by problems since the beginning and is currently down due to an "operating issue." The investigation, along with plummeting prices for renewables, now means that the plant, which was supposed to operate until 2070, could close as early as 2030.
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It’s got to be about holding coal companies accountable and making sure that the reclamation bonds in place are adequate and not underfunded. Each step of that you have to have your regulators’ eyes on making sure the liabilities are not being brushed aside.”
