Federal coal sales moratorium shakes industry stronghold

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Federal coal sales moratorium shakes industry stronghold

Mead Gruver and Matthew Brown, Associated Press

Updated 6:33 am, Monday, February 1, 2016

GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) — Like a trusty pickup truck, Gillette has bounced through tough times before and pulled through, thanks to coal.

Lately the bumps for an industry that's brought wealth and jobs to this town are getting bigger — bankruptcies of major producers, pollution rules that have made burning coal more expensive and the decline of a once-promising export market.

Now, another threat has struck coal's remaining U.S. stronghold: A potential end to relatively easy and cheap access to billions of tons of the fuel held in publicly-owned reserves across the West.

President Barack Obama's administration has ordered a three-year moratorium on sales of federal coal reserves, and it's putting a rare mood on folks in Gillette, a ranching-turned-energy town of 32,000: pessimism.


Read more: http://www.chron.com/business/energy/article/Federal-coal-sales-moratorium-shakes-industry-6797528.php

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Again they blame Obama

[elleng]

2. The loss of jobs is unfortunate but

it MUST happen, and we MUST adapt as we've always done. MANY jobs are and will be available in 'clean' industrial energy applications.

[Johnyawl]

3. The auto body shop owner..

..complaining about the mine closing down and how he's going broke has advanced liver and colon cancer and can't afford health insurance. jesus "Orange clouds of toxic gas released by mine blasting smudge the distant horizon."

My grandfather spent his life mining coal and died of blacklung at 59. I feel sorry for the people who are losing their livelihood and the nice little toxic town they're living in but their grandchildren will look back on how they lived and think "There but for the grace of god...".