Inside Energy (https://insideenergy.org/author/cmckim/page/2/)
A new coal mine may be opening in the Powder River Basin — if it does, it would be the first to open in Wyoming in 50 years. Before that can happen, they have to obtain a permit. Local groups are arguing against one. They say the mine’s proposed permit is lacking and worry about the environmental impacts of a new mine.
Coal used to be the dominant resource to feed power generation, but it’s fallen to natural gas and renewable energies. With a drop in coal demand, a Kentucky-based company is looking for a new way to use the resource. They’re hoping to find a way to make coal as versatile as oil, creating new products like car parts, building material, and much more.
Many would have liked to see the Endangered Species Act reformed years ago, yet it has resisted change thanks to bipartisan and public support. But momentum in Congress and in western states is building to make changes to the landmark regulation that protects threatened animal and plant species and their habitats.
There’s growing concern in many states about the proximity of homes and occupied buildings to active oil and gas wells. This comes after a fatal explosion in Colorado in April killed two people and was traced to an abandoned, unsealed gas line. But old wells can be a problem too. In Wyoming last year, a gas leak from an abandoned well forced a small-town school to shut down. Now it’s preparing to reopen.
