Coal

The utility entities that co-own Craig Station Unit 1 in Moffat County filed a petition with the U.S. Energy Department asking it to reverse a Dec. 30 emergency order that forced the plant to stay in operation one day before it was scheduled to close.

The five-page Dept. of Energy order, signed by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, cites “growing resource adequacy concerns” as justification for the move, which followed similar actions in Indiana and Washington.

The move continues the Trump administration’s support of coal, but drew a furious response from environmental groups and Colorado officials.

The Cooper family has worked in the coal industry in Colorado for generations. That's ending as one of three coal mines in their area closes in a statewide shift to cleaner energy. Many countries and about half of U.S. states are moving away from coal, citing the environmental impact and high costs of producing electricity that way as plants age.

Wyoming and Utah’s governors said we no longer have to choose between protecting the environment and burning fossil fuels. Energy researchers disagree.

A coal fire has been burning for over a century in Boulder County under the Marshall Mesa trailhead. It's been the subject of increased scrutiny since the Marshall Fire, although officials concluded it likely didn't contribute to the 2021 tragedy. Tim Drugan from Boulder Reporting Lab reports on the plan to extinguish the fire this fall.

The U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources held a hearing in mid-June about coal leasing on federal lands.

A new report reveals that 91% of the nation’s coal plants are heavily contaminating groundwater, and some of the most polluted sites are in the Mountain West.

A federal judge on Friday reinstated a moratorium on coal leasing from federal lands that was imposed under former President Barack Obama and then scuttled under former President Donald Trump, in an order that marked a major setback to the already struggling coal industry.

A slide on an 80-foot-high coal pile killed two workers Thursday at the Comanche Generating Station in Pueblo, authorities said after a day-long search for the victims.