Wyoming is threatening to sue Colorado.
The reason: Colorado has passed laws that accelerate the deployment of renewable energy and the retirement of coal plants.
Wyoming â the nationâs largest coal producer, despite all of West Virginiaâs coal heritage â doesnât like that because it says that hurts The Cowboy Stateâs economy.
Thatâs an interesting legal theory and a poor use of Wyomingâs tax dollars.
Yes, Colorado might be taking actions to accelerate coalâs decline, but coal jobs would be declining anyway, just not as quickly.
Wyoming would be better off figuring out how to adjust to new, and inevitable, economic realities.
Editorial: Colorado vows to help its coal counties Why isn t Virginia? roanoke.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from roanoke.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Ask a Scientist: What Can We Do to Help Displaced Coal Workers?
Elliott Negin, senior writer | May 10, 2021, 11:15 am EDT This post is a part of a series on
Despite the Trump administration’s attempts to preserve the coal industry, mining jobs hit a record low during his term. There were nearly 90,000 people working in the industry in 2012, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In January, there were 42,400.
That’s not a surprise. Over the last decade, demand for coal has dropped precipitously, largely due to the availability of cheap natural gas, the dramatic drop in the cost of renewables, and flat demand for electricity. In 2010, coal-fired power plants generated 50 percent of US electricity. Last year, coal plants were responsible for only about 20 percent. The Biden administration’s goals for cutting carbon emissions will no doubt further accelerate the industry
In May 2019, as Democrats in the Colorado General Assembly advanced a bill launching the state’s efforts to ensure a “just transition” for coal workers impacted by the shift to clean energy, Republicans were incensed.
In a tense, late-night floor debate over House Bill 19-1314, which created a new Office of Just Transition in the state’s labor department, Senate Republicans called the legislation “laughable” and “offensive.” It was an “insulting and egregious bill.” Senator Bob Gardner, a Republican from El Paso County, advised Democratic lawmakers traveling to the communities impacted by the bill to “leave town pretty quickly,” because “your welcome might be pretty short.”
A state House panel on Thursday advanced a $15 million stimulus measure to put funding behind Coloradoâs plan to support workers and communities reliant on jobs in coal mines and factories as the state s energy economy transitions toward cleaner generation sources.
The funding in House Bill 21-1290 from House Majority Leader Daneya Esgar, D-Pueblo, and Rep. Perry Will, R-New Castle, would represent the first real money pumped into the Office of Just Transitions. That office came about through 2019 legislation that called for creation of a transition plan to assist communities and workers whose coal-related industries and jobs are subject to significant economic transition.