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“Given the expected near-term declines in coal production and generation from coal power plants, the Working Group recommends focusing initial federal investments in areas with high concentrations of coal-dependent jobs,” the report states.Ĭontributing to Wyoming’s ranking is the fact that Rocky Mountain Power has set early retirement dates for several coal-fired power units that are economic drivers for communities such as Glenrock, Rock Springs and Kemmerer. 8 and the western half of the state at No.
The working group’s April report lists Wyoming among the top 25 most impacted regions for coal-related job declines and prioritizes the eastern half of the state as No. The $300 million Coal Communities Commitment seeds President Joe Biden’s Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization, created by executive order in January. “I think we have a long way to go,” Ashby said.
What’s missing, according to Wyoming Economic Development Association Administrator Brittany Ashby, is a cohesive state-level strategy for how vulnerable communities can diversify and sustain themselves if the coal sector continues to shrink. Meantime, Gordon has launched initiatives such as “ Survive, Drive, and Thrive ” to take advantage of federal pandemic relief funds in ways that tangentially achieve some of the same federal long-term sustainability goals for coal communities.
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Instead, the Legislature has pushed a series of measures to keep coal plants and coal mines in operation. Mark Gordon and members of the Legislature have said communities in Wyoming don’t need to “transition” away from a reliance on coal and fossil fuels. ĭonate Now A sign in downtown Rock Springs reminds residents and visitors of the town’s entrenched relationship with coal. The package is part of a broader $3 billion Department of Commerce initiative to help “communities around the country not only rebuild but reimagine their economy for the future,” Commerce Secretary Gina Riamondo said in a July press release. Economic Development Administration’s Coal Communities Commitment to revitalize “hard-hit” coal and energy communities. “I think it’d be good if we could, but we just haven’t really been able to coordinate any statewide or regional efforts as far as this money goes.”Īt stake is a $300 million spending package from the U.S. Many coal community revitalization programs are based on regional efforts to leverage resources and attract federal dollars. “We aren’t working with any other communities and, as far as I know, no other communities are working together,” Christopherson said. Energy Capital is the local economic development authority in Campbell County, home to the largest coal mining region in the country.įew Wyoming communities have the experience and grant-writing expertise necessary to qualify and compete on a national scale, Christopherson said, and they could benefit from more state assistance.
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Coordination among coal communities and the state to compete for and deploy those dollars is lacking, according to Energy Capital Economic Development CEO Phil Christopherson.
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