(Bloomberg, August 24The Energy Department, in a long-anticipated report on the security of the U.S. electric grid, makes the case for rescuing the nation’s coal industry from widespread plant shutdowns, but stops short of an assault on renewable power that environmentalists had feared. The study, commissioned by Energy Secretary Rick Perry who has warned that policies favoring solar […]

(New York Times, August 23) – The Trump administration on Wednesday released a major report urging actions to protect the “reliability and resilience” of the nation’s electric grid, a move that could lay the groundwork for future support of America’s ailing coal and nuclear industries. The 187-page study, commissioned by Energy Secretary Rick Perry in April, recommends that […]

(Platts, August 23) – Continued volume gains in the West have pushed US coal carload counts to a new year-high mark in each of the last four weeks.Continued volume gains in the West have pushed US coal carload counts to a new year-high mark in each of the last four weeks. For the week ended […]

(Associated Press, April 3) – The Interior Department said Monday it is scrapping an Obama-era rule aimed at ensuring that coal companies don’t shortchange taxpayers on huge volumes of coal extracted from public lands, primarily in the West. The Trump administration had put the rule on hold after mining companies challenged the regulation in federal […]

(Casper Star Tribune, April 4) – Peabody Energy emerged from bankruptcy Monday, leaving behind $5 billion in debt and providing $1.26 billion in surety bonds to replace its unsecured cleanup costs. The St. Louis-based firm is the last of the large coal companies operating in Wyoming to exit Chapter 11 since a downturn in the […]

SNL, Taylor Kuykendall, 2/23/2017 Ramaco Carbon LLC is aiming to “fundamentally diversify the future of the coal industry” with a “coal to cars” mine, research center and industrial park. The facility is a partnership of the Ramaco Resources Inc. affiliate as well as national research teams from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Grossman Group for […]

SNL, Joshua Learn, 2/24/2017 Coal producers in the Powder River Basin will benefit if the Trump administration, as expected, lifts the federal coal lease moratorium, according to analysts. “We view the move as positive for PRB names in the long term because it alleviates future constraints and [stanches] what would likely have been an effort […]

(Casper Star Tribune, February 14) – Sheridan County hasn’t experienced active coal mining since the last coal operation ceased in the 1980s, though it was once a booming coal community peppered with company towns. That may soon change. Cloud Peak Energy, which operates the Antelope and Cordero Rojo mines in Campbell County, recently applied for […]

(SNL, February 14) – Executives of a new clean coal technology company are boasting the ability to remove some of the polluting components of coal while sealing it for stabilized transportation. Clean Coal Technologies Inc., a Florida-listed company, is looking to move a successful pilot plant from Oklahoma and sell licenses to use its technology, […]

(Casper Star Tribune, February 8) – It’s been a turnaround year for Arch Coal. After filing for bankruptcy in January 2016 with more than $5 billion in debt, the firm that operates the Black Thunder mine outside of Wright bled dollars throughout its Chapter 11 proceedings. It emerged nine months later, just as winter demand […]