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40-Year Low Projected, Collapse of Industry Underscores Need for State to Transition From Coal Denver—With the latest reports showing Colorado coal production is on track to hit a 40-year low, WildEarth Guardians is stepping up its call on the Obama Administration to help the state transition away from fossil fuels. “Colorado’s coal industry is a dead man walking,” said Jeremy Nichols, WildEarth Guardians’ Climate and Energy Program Director. “It’s time for ‘Just Transition,’ meaning we need to immediately get behind initiatives that provide the resources and tools for miners and communities to move on.” According to the latest data from the Colorado Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety, mines produced 3.85 million tons of coal in the first four months of 2016, compared to 6.51 million tons in the same period in 2015. The drop comes on top of the industry’s slide in 2015, when coal mining was at its lowest level since 1994. If the first-quarter production rates continue throughout 2016, Colorado would produce around 12 million tons of coal. That would be the lowest level of production in the state since the late 1970s. All Colorado mines have reported decreased production so far in 2016. Industry’s collapse comes as the U.S. Department of the Interior is moving to reform federal coal management and plans to hold a public hearing in Grand Junction on June 23. WildEarth Guardians, which has called for an end to the federal coal program and for fossil fuels to be kept in the ground, is calling on the Administration to make “Just Transition” its number one priority. “For our climate, we have to start keeping our coal in the ground,” said Nichols. “But keeping coal in the ground doesn’t mean we turn our back on the need to help coal-dependent communities, like Craig, Colorado or the state’s North Fork Valley, develop more prosperous and sustainable economies.” The total number of miners employed statewide also fell by about 16%, from 1,506 in April 2015 to 1,263 in March 2016. April figures do not include yesterday’s announcement that Arch Coal, which filed for bankruptcy in January this year, was laying off 80 miners from its West Elk mine. The number of coal miners in Colorado is now less than a third the number of employees working in the state for just one wind turbine manufacturer, Vestas. Recent news reports indicate Vestas employs nearly 4,000 people at its manufacturing facilities in the state. It was recently announced that Vestas will build the turbines for Colorado’s largest wind farm as part of Xcel Energy’s plan to add up to 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy in the state. Colorado coal mine production data can be found online here >> Data displaying coal mined in Colorado between 1960 and 2010 is available here >> |
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