Wyoming Legislature extends lifeline to coal power

In early December 2018, the multi-state electrical utility PacifiCorp had some bad news for coal country: Coal power plants were losing money. Out of the 22 plants the company operates across the West, 13 were more expensive to operate than alternative energy sources, and the three costliest were all in Wyoming.

PacifiCorp could save more than $200 million by closing two units of its Naughton plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming. That would deal a devastating blow to the local economy, which includes the plants and associated mining operations, by potentially eliminating 600 jobs in the regional community of about 3,500, according to preliminary estimates by University of Wyoming economist Rob Godby.

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