Wyoming Coal Industry Makes a Rebound

The coal mining business has been taking a major hit during the past few years, and production in Wyoming has been right along with it.

Coal production in Wyoming hit about 302 million tons in 2016, which is 75 million tons below normal. However, that is 2 million more tons than predicted, due to a nice rebound in the third and fourth quarters.

Travis Deti with the Wyoming Mining Association said that coal does appear to be on a rebound, “I think we’re going to see a real different direction out of the this new administration, and that’s good for Wyoming and good for Wyoming coal.”

With competitor’s such as natural gas and renewable energy, coal has been slipping behind, but Deti says that coal is still needed, “The US and the world still needs coal and Wyoming coal is still poised to meet that demand.”

As a source of energy, a pound of coal supplies enough electricity to light ten, 100-watt light bulbs for one hour. However, coal is not just used as a source of energy. Manufacturers use coal to produce chemicals, paper, ceramics, and a variety of metal products.