Trumpers tired of winning yet? Mine shutdowns in top US coal region bring new uncertainty

[hadit]

Wait, I thought the coal mining was an 18th century industry and nothing Trump could do would save it,


and now you are instead saying that something he did, is responsible for it declining?


You lefties really will say just any shit, that serves your partisan purpose at that second, with out any humanity in you at all.



SHUT YOUR FACE ANUS.

? No, he said Trump was just blowing warm air up your skirt about bringing back coal. I don't know why you guys get mad at the wrong people when Trump's b.s. is revealed as b.s.

I made a point about how liberals just say shit, and then when the situation changes, they just say some other shit, with no concern about contradicting themselves.


You hit the reply button, but didn't actually reply to anything I said.

Where did anyone say Trump was responsible for the coal industry declining? .....

First line in the op.


"Another Donald Trump gut decision goes haywire as coal mines go bankrupt and the existence of communities is threatened."

That says Trump was wrong about coal coming back, not that he's responsible for the decline. You don't comprehend much.

"Decision". That's the key word. That means the OP is saying Trump did something and now the coal companies are struggling. How is that different from saying he's responsible for the decline?

 

[hadit]

Another Donald Trump gut decision goes haywire as coal mines go bankrupt and the existence of communities is threatened.

Perhaps Donald Trump should visit and throw some rolls of toilet paper to these victims of his gut-wrenching policies. "At two of the world's biggest coal mines, the finances got so bad that their owner couldn't even get toilet paper on credit."

Donald Trump's rollback of EPA regulations was not enough to save the coal industry.

The economy of the US is creaking as Donald Trump's gut decisions prove wrong consistently and painfully.

Mine shutdowns in top US coal region bring new uncertainty

Mine shutdowns in top US coal region bring new uncertainty

MEAD GRUVER, Associated Press•September 14, 2019

The shutdown of Blackjewel LLC's Belle Ayr and Eagle Butte mines in Wyoming since July 1, 2019 has added yet more uncertainty to the Powder River Basin's struggling coal economy.

GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) — At two of the world's biggest coal mines, the finances got so bad that their owner couldn't even get toilet paper on credit.

Warehouse technician Melissa Worden divvied up what remained, giving four rolls to each mine and two to the mine supply facility where she worked.

Then mine owner Blackjewel LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 1. Worden figured the accounts would get settled quickly.
"The consensus was: In 30 days, we'll look back on this, and we made it through, and we'll be up and running, and it's a fresh start," Worden said.

What happened instead has shaken the top coal-producing region in the United States. Blackjewel furloughed most of its Wyoming employees and shut down Eagle Butte and Belle Ayr mines, the first idled by hardship since coal mining in the Powder River Basin exploded in the 1970s.

It's a big hit to the region straddling northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana, where coal has quietly supported the economies of both states for decades and fuels a shrinking number of power plants in 28 states.
Negotiations that could reopen the two Wyoming mines under new ownership are stalled more than two months later. Some 600 employees remain off the job. And doubts are growing about the long-term viability of the region's coal mines.

"I don't think we'll ever be that naive again," said Worden, 44.
Blackjewel, based in Milton, West Virginia, told its Wyoming employees this week that the mines might be running again soon and to let the company know if they wanted their jobs back.
Worden said she felt little reassurance. She's not the only one questioning long-held assumptions about Powder River Basin mines, which produce cleaner-burning coal less expensively than mines in other parts of the U.S. and weren't widely thought of being at risk.

But with coal in long-term decline, how the basin might eventually scale down production to a sustainable level has become a big question, said Rob Godby, director of the Center for Energy Economics and Public Policy at the University of Wyoming.

"The irony here — and it's really a cruel irony — is everybody is focused on getting these miners back to work. But really the solution to creating a healthy industry is some mines close," Godby said.

For now, little appears changed in Gillette, a city of 30,000 at the heart of the basin of rolling grasslands where tattoo shops are abundant and big, late-model pickup trucks still cruise the main drag.
This year, however, has been especially tumultuous. Three of the Powder River Basin's nine producers — Westmoreland Coal, Cloud Peak Energy and Blackjewel — have filed for bankruptcy since March. Two others, Arch Coal and Peabody, say they will merge assets in the region.

The turmoil comes as U.S. coal production is down over 30 percent since peaking in 2008. Utilities are retiring aging coal-fired power plants and switching to solar, wind and cheaper and cleaner-burning natural gas to generate electricity despite President Donald Trump's efforts to prop up the coal industry.
A decade ago, about half of U.S. electricity came from coal-fired power. Now it's below 30 percent, a shift that heavy equipment operator Rory Wallet saw as utilities became less willing to lock in multiyear contracts for Belle Ayr mine's coal.

"The market's changed," Wallet said. "The bankruptcies all tie into that."
Wallet, 40, who followed his father into the mine in 2008, said the recent closures and loss of his $80,000-a-year job surprised him. He has four children, and his wife's job at a restaurant in Gillette is their main income while they await news about the mines.

Blackjewel said Thursday that it was working on plans to restart the mines while pursuing their sale. There were no indications in federal bankruptcy court filings that the mines were set to reopen, however.
"This is a fast-moving and sometimes unpredictable process, and accordingly, we do not have answers to all of your questions at this time," the company's statement said.

Wallet is looking for a job and lobbying Wyoming lawmakers to fight harder to force Washington state to approve a port facility expansion that would allow more coal exports to Asia.
"The ports are going to be a big deal. Asia is going to be a big deal," Wallet said.
But Godby said the amount of coal that the proposed export terminal could handle would offset only a small fraction of the amount that production has declined.

Powder River Basin mines employ about 5,000 miners — 20 percent fewer than eight years ago. The impact is even wider because an additional 8,000 jobs, from teachers to car mechanics, have indirect ties to the coal industry.

Locals cheered when Trump lifted a federal moratorium on coal leases, but Worden and Wallet disagree about whether changing environmental regulations will do much good.
Both say coal should continue to have a place alongside renewable energy.
"It needs to be a group effort, not green is on one side and black is on the other," Worden said. "We don't want this community to die." ...

/—-/ So you libtards are saying President Trump isn’t working hard enough to save the coal industry. OK...

Trump couldn't give a shit about coal. He just wants the votes of people who depend on it.

IOW, you're describing a politician. Do you really think Obama gave a flying rat's fart about healthcare?

 

[Correll]

So, I make a point that people like you hate people like me, and that is why people like me don't support people like you politically.


And your response is to insult me and people like me, by calling us, "uneducated", "losers", "losers" again, "dupes" and a third time, "losers".


What that you way of showing that people like you dont' hate people like me?


Oh, and the irony of you doing that while insulting MY intelligence? I'm sure flies right over your pointy little head.

I don't hate you. The world needs people like you. Trump has recognized the purpose of your ilk as:

• Lip-service patriots;
• Bogus Christians;
• Soldiers who would die on the command of a superior for a cause they don't understand or care about;
• Janitors;
• Rent-a-mob at Trump rallies;
• Actors in zombie movies.

And my point about how unintelligent it is of you, to constantly insult us, and then be surprised that we dont' support you?

Still to complex for you to grasp?

Here is the deal pal. YOu hate us. We realize that, and thus notice that you are actively hostile to our interests.

Thus, we dont' give you our political support.

That you find that to be evidence of something wrong with US, is just you being an insanely stupid asshole.

Your own personal hate is palpable.

You are so naive that you believe that your savior, Donald Trump, will rescue you from your abject existence.

The portents are bad for you. You will become a blubbering whimpering mess after Donald Trump is run outta town.

Get well soon.

1 When you do something like, viciously smear people, and then attack them for not supporting your politically, behavior like that, supports a statement like, "your hate is palpable". To be clear for the slow kids in the class, that is what you are doing.

2. When you point out that someone viciously smeared you, and you explain that that is why you don't believe that they are on your side, and you don't support them politically, that is not "hate".

So according to your rules:

• If I call you hateful that is a smear; but
• If you call me hateful that's not a smear?

1. You did more than just call me hateful. This whole thread opens with and continues with constant attacks on Trump supports, interspersed with attacks on them for not supporting people like you that obviously hate them.


2. And all I did, was point out that, reaching the conclusion that someone that hates you, is not going to represent your interests well, is completely valid, and that your reaction to that, and your behavior is "hateful".


And thus yes, one of those is valid, and the other is not.

 

[TemplarKormac]

Another Donald Trump gut decision goes haywire as coal mines go bankrupt and the existence of communities is threatened.

Perhaps Donald Trump should visit and throw some rolls of toilet paper to these victims of his gut-wrenching policies. "At two of the world's biggest coal mines, the finances got so bad that their owner couldn't even get toilet paper on credit."

Donald Trump's rollback of EPA regulations was not enough to save the coal industry.

The economy of the US is creaking as Donald Trump's gut decisions prove wrong consistently and painfully.

Mine shutdowns in top US coal region bring new uncertainty

Mine shutdowns in top US coal region bring new uncertainty

MEAD GRUVER, Associated Press•September 14, 2019

The shutdown of Blackjewel LLC's Belle Ayr and Eagle Butte mines in Wyoming since July 1, 2019 has added yet more uncertainty to the Powder River Basin's struggling coal economy.

GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) — At two of the world's biggest coal mines, the finances got so bad that their owner couldn't even get toilet paper on credit.

Warehouse technician Melissa Worden divvied up what remained, giving four rolls to each mine and two to the mine supply facility where she worked.

Then mine owner Blackjewel LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 1. Worden figured the accounts would get settled quickly.
"The consensus was: In 30 days, we'll look back on this, and we made it through, and we'll be up and running, and it's a fresh start," Worden said.

What happened instead has shaken the top coal-producing region in the United States. Blackjewel furloughed most of its Wyoming employees and shut down Eagle Butte and Belle Ayr mines, the first idled by hardship since coal mining in the Powder River Basin exploded in the 1970s.

It's a big hit to the region straddling northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana, where coal has quietly supported the economies of both states for decades and fuels a shrinking number of power plants in 28 states.
Negotiations that could reopen the two Wyoming mines under new ownership are stalled more than two months later. Some 600 employees remain off the job. And doubts are growing about the long-term viability of the region's coal mines.

"I don't think we'll ever be that naive again," said Worden, 44.
Blackjewel, based in Milton, West Virginia, told its Wyoming employees this week that the mines might be running again soon and to let the company know if they wanted their jobs back.
Worden said she felt little reassurance. She's not the only one questioning long-held assumptions about Powder River Basin mines, which produce cleaner-burning coal less expensively than mines in other parts of the U.S. and weren't widely thought of being at risk.

But with coal in long-term decline, how the basin might eventually scale down production to a sustainable level has become a big question, said Rob Godby, director of the Center for Energy Economics and Public Policy at the University of Wyoming.

"The irony here — and it's really a cruel irony — is everybody is focused on getting these miners back to work. But really the solution to creating a healthy industry is some mines close," Godby said.

For now, little appears changed in Gillette, a city of 30,000 at the heart of the basin of rolling grasslands where tattoo shops are abundant and big, late-model pickup trucks still cruise the main drag.
This year, however, has been especially tumultuous. Three of the Powder River Basin's nine producers — Westmoreland Coal, Cloud Peak Energy and Blackjewel — have filed for bankruptcy since March. Two others, Arch Coal and Peabody, say they will merge assets in the region.

The turmoil comes as U.S. coal production is down over 30 percent since peaking in 2008. Utilities are retiring aging coal-fired power plants and switching to solar, wind and cheaper and cleaner-burning natural gas to generate electricity despite President Donald Trump's efforts to prop up the coal industry.
A decade ago, about half of U.S. electricity came from coal-fired power. Now it's below 30 percent, a shift that heavy equipment operator Rory Wallet saw as utilities became less willing to lock in multiyear contracts for Belle Ayr mine's coal.

"The market's changed," Wallet said. "The bankruptcies all tie into that."
Wallet, 40, who followed his father into the mine in 2008, said the recent closures and loss of his $80,000-a-year job surprised him. He has four children, and his wife's job at a restaurant in Gillette is their main income while they await news about the mines.

Blackjewel said Thursday that it was working on plans to restart the mines while pursuing their sale. There were no indications in federal bankruptcy court filings that the mines were set to reopen, however.
"This is a fast-moving and sometimes unpredictable process, and accordingly, we do not have answers to all of your questions at this time," the company's statement said.

Wallet is looking for a job and lobbying Wyoming lawmakers to fight harder to force Washington state to approve a port facility expansion that would allow more coal exports to Asia.
"The ports are going to be a big deal. Asia is going to be a big deal," Wallet said.
But Godby said the amount of coal that the proposed export terminal could handle would offset only a small fraction of the amount that production has declined.

Powder River Basin mines employ about 5,000 miners — 20 percent fewer than eight years ago. The impact is even wider because an additional 8,000 jobs, from teachers to car mechanics, have indirect ties to the coal industry.

Locals cheered when Trump lifted a federal moratorium on coal leases, but Worden and Wallet disagree about whether changing environmental regulations will do much good.
Both say coal should continue to have a place alongside renewable energy.
"It needs to be a group effort, not green is on one side and black is on the other," Worden said. "We don't want this community to die." ...

Hmm... it's as if you are cheering for this to happen. So you can have a weapon to hit Trump with.

My advice to you? Don't play with fire.

 

[Correll]

? No, he said Trump was just blowing warm air up your skirt about bringing back coal. I don't know why you guys get mad at the wrong people when Trump's b.s. is revealed as b.s.

I made a point about how liberals just say shit, and then when the situation changes, they just say some other shit, with no concern about contradicting themselves.


You hit the reply button, but didn't actually reply to anything I said.

Where did anyone say Trump was responsible for the coal industry declining? .....

First line in the op.


"Another Donald Trump gut decision goes haywire as coal mines go bankrupt and the existence of communities is threatened."

That says Trump was wrong about coal coming back, not that he's responsible for the decline. You don't comprehend much.

"Decision". That's the key word. That means the OP is saying Trump did something and now the coal companies are struggling. How is that different from saying he's responsible for the decline?

It's not. Liberals just like to lie a lot.

 

[Denizen]

Another Donald Trump gut decision goes haywire as coal mines go bankrupt and the existence of communities is threatened.

Perhaps Donald Trump should visit and throw some rolls of toilet paper to these victims of his gut-wrenching policies. "At two of the world's biggest coal mines, the finances got so bad that their owner couldn't even get toilet paper on credit."

Donald Trump's rollback of EPA regulations was not enough to save the coal industry.

The economy of the US is creaking as Donald Trump's gut decisions prove wrong consistently and painfully.

Mine shutdowns in top US coal region bring new uncertainty

Mine shutdowns in top US coal region bring new uncertainty

MEAD GRUVER, Associated Press•September 14, 2019

The shutdown of Blackjewel LLC's Belle Ayr and Eagle Butte mines in Wyoming since July 1, 2019 has added yet more uncertainty to the Powder River Basin's struggling coal economy.

GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) — At two of the world's biggest coal mines, the finances got so bad that their owner couldn't even get toilet paper on credit.

Warehouse technician Melissa Worden divvied up what remained, giving four rolls to each mine and two to the mine supply facility where she worked.

Then mine owner Blackjewel LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 1. Worden figured the accounts would get settled quickly.
"The consensus was: In 30 days, we'll look back on this, and we made it through, and we'll be up and running, and it's a fresh start," Worden said.

What happened instead has shaken the top coal-producing region in the United States. Blackjewel furloughed most of its Wyoming employees and shut down Eagle Butte and Belle Ayr mines, the first idled by hardship since coal mining in the Powder River Basin exploded in the 1970s.

It's a big hit to the region straddling northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana, where coal has quietly supported the economies of both states for decades and fuels a shrinking number of power plants in 28 states.
Negotiations that could reopen the two Wyoming mines under new ownership are stalled more than two months later. Some 600 employees remain off the job. And doubts are growing about the long-term viability of the region's coal mines.

"I don't think we'll ever be that naive again," said Worden, 44.
Blackjewel, based in Milton, West Virginia, told its Wyoming employees this week that the mines might be running again soon and to let the company know if they wanted their jobs back.
Worden said she felt little reassurance. She's not the only one questioning long-held assumptions about Powder River Basin mines, which produce cleaner-burning coal less expensively than mines in other parts of the U.S. and weren't widely thought of being at risk.

But with coal in long-term decline, how the basin might eventually scale down production to a sustainable level has become a big question, said Rob Godby, director of the Center for Energy Economics and Public Policy at the University of Wyoming.

"The irony here — and it's really a cruel irony — is everybody is focused on getting these miners back to work. But really the solution to creating a healthy industry is some mines close," Godby said.

For now, little appears changed in Gillette, a city of 30,000 at the heart of the basin of rolling grasslands where tattoo shops are abundant and big, late-model pickup trucks still cruise the main drag.
This year, however, has been especially tumultuous. Three of the Powder River Basin's nine producers — Westmoreland Coal, Cloud Peak Energy and Blackjewel — have filed for bankruptcy since March. Two others, Arch Coal and Peabody, say they will merge assets in the region.

The turmoil comes as U.S. coal production is down over 30 percent since peaking in 2008. Utilities are retiring aging coal-fired power plants and switching to solar, wind and cheaper and cleaner-burning natural gas to generate electricity despite President Donald Trump's efforts to prop up the coal industry.
A decade ago, about half of U.S. electricity came from coal-fired power. Now it's below 30 percent, a shift that heavy equipment operator Rory Wallet saw as utilities became less willing to lock in multiyear contracts for Belle Ayr mine's coal.

"The market's changed," Wallet said. "The bankruptcies all tie into that."
Wallet, 40, who followed his father into the mine in 2008, said the recent closures and loss of his $80,000-a-year job surprised him. He has four children, and his wife's job at a restaurant in Gillette is their main income while they await news about the mines.

Blackjewel said Thursday that it was working on plans to restart the mines while pursuing their sale. There were no indications in federal bankruptcy court filings that the mines were set to reopen, however.
"This is a fast-moving and sometimes unpredictable process, and accordingly, we do not have answers to all of your questions at this time," the company's statement said.

Wallet is looking for a job and lobbying Wyoming lawmakers to fight harder to force Washington state to approve a port facility expansion that would allow more coal exports to Asia.
"The ports are going to be a big deal. Asia is going to be a big deal," Wallet said.
But Godby said the amount of coal that the proposed export terminal could handle would offset only a small fraction of the amount that production has declined.

Powder River Basin mines employ about 5,000 miners — 20 percent fewer than eight years ago. The impact is even wider because an additional 8,000 jobs, from teachers to car mechanics, have indirect ties to the coal industry.

Locals cheered when Trump lifted a federal moratorium on coal leases, but Worden and Wallet disagree about whether changing environmental regulations will do much good.
Both say coal should continue to have a place alongside renewable energy.
"It needs to be a group effort, not green is on one side and black is on the other," Worden said. "We don't want this community to die." ...

/—-/ So you libtards are saying President Trump isn’t working hard enough to save the coal industry. OK...

Trump couldn't give a shit about coal. He just wants the votes of people who depend on it.

IOW, you're describing a politician. Do you really think Obama gave a flying rat's fart about healthcare?

Yes he did and does.

 

[Denizen]

I don't hate you. The world needs people like you. Trump has recognized the purpose of your ilk as:

• Lip-service patriots;
• Bogus Christians;
• Soldiers who would die on the command of a superior for a cause they don't understand or care about;
• Janitors;
• Rent-a-mob at Trump rallies;
• Actors in zombie movies.

And my point about how unintelligent it is of you, to constantly insult us, and then be surprised that we dont' support you?

Still to complex for you to grasp?

Here is the deal pal. YOu hate us. We realize that, and thus notice that you are actively hostile to our interests.

Thus, we dont' give you our political support.

That you find that to be evidence of something wrong with US, is just you being an insanely stupid asshole.

Your own personal hate is palpable.

You are so naive that you believe that your savior, Donald Trump, will rescue you from your abject existence.

The portents are bad for you. You will become a blubbering whimpering mess after Donald Trump is run outta town.

Get well soon.

1 When you do something like, viciously smear people, and then attack them for not supporting your politically, behavior like that, supports a statement like, "your hate is palpable". To be clear for the slow kids in the class, that is what you are doing.

2. When you point out that someone viciously smeared you, and you explain that that is why you don't believe that they are on your side, and you don't support them politically, that is not "hate".

So according to your rules:

• If I call you hateful that is a smear; but
• If you call me hateful that's not a smear?

1. You did more than just call me hateful. This whole thread opens with and continues with constant attacks on Trump supports, interspersed with attacks on them for not supporting people like you that obviously hate them.

2. And all I did, was point out that, reaching the conclusion that someone that hates you, is not going to represent your interests well, is completely valid, and that your reaction to that, and your behavior is "hateful".

And thus yes, one of those is valid, and the other is not.

I have diagnosed your illness. You are a self-hater with an inferiority complex. You project your hate onto others because you believe yourself unworthy of having any emotions.

 

[Daryl Hunt]

Repeating the same lie over and over again doesn't make it the truth, Comradeski

But the truth is always a good answer to the lies people like you speak.



The op attacks Trump supporters for supporting him specifically with regards to his pro-Coal stance.

That decision took place when the only other alternative was HILLARY, with her anti-Coal stance.


We've seen what happens, when people like you start to work out the options.


It means people like you talk to yourselves to pretend that you are addressing an issue, while people like me get fucked.


That you pretend that there is anything wrong with our decisions in this regard, is just you being an asshole.

Comradeski, how many times are you going to cut and paste from your GRU playbook this same thing? it's still a lie no matter how many times you post it.

YOur cowardly deflection attempt is noted. YOu are a cowardly asshole.



The op attacks Trump supporters for supporting him specifically with regards to his pro-Coal stance.

That decision took place when the only other alternative was HILLARY, with her anti-Coal stance.


We've seen what happens, when people like you start to work out the options.


It means people like you talk to yourselves to pretend that you are addressing an issue, while people like me get fucked.


That you pretend that there is anything wrong with our decisions in this regard, is just you being an asshole.

You haven't presented a single option except, "I demand it MY way". Hate to break it to you but reality doesn't work that way for any of us. Then you run off at the fingers about "WhataboutHillary". That is sad. That means you don't have a message and are incapable of working on any solution to the problem. Coal has become a secondary source of power and in 5 years, it won't be making any power at all. And that has been it's primary use. Only it's secondary uses will continue.

You and your band or criminals have shouted down every suggestion on a solution to the problem of displaced workers. You have shouted down every mention of helping with the retraining and creating alternative jobs. You don't want solutions. You only want to follow your Rump in a daze and just ignore reality. America is taking names and will be kicking ass. Rump along with Moscow Mitch will be no longer messing things up after next year. We are tired of the Reality TV Show crap and that includes your sideshow Stripper and Donkey act.

1. Coal is now secondary. It only generates 27% of the nations electricity. Which dwarfs all renewables combined, which is only at 17%. Coal will not be gone in 5 years. There could be DECADES of good jobs for a lot of people, that you want to replace with bullshit. You are thus the one ignoring reality.

What is U.S. electricity generation by energy source? - FAQ - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)


2. President Trump is not the one with an irrational hostility to a major sector of the economy, willing to shit can the jobs in it, for no reason.

3. The solution is to milk this cash cow for all it is worth.


4. The counter solutions you offer, have been tried and found wanting time and time again. They are bullshit.


5. IF you win, that just proves that you won, doesnt' prove that you right.

You have presented ZERO suggestions for solutions. You want to have a meaningful discussion, you have to do your part.

Tag, you are it.

 

[Daryl Hunt]

As we saw one more turd on the compost pile doesn't make all that much difference. By the time President Trump retires in 5.5 more years it will have become useful in growing spendy crops we'll sell at outrageous prices to you vegan liberals.

It's vital the GOP regain control of the House so legislation can be passed to protect the coal industry from left wing persecution.

The Whigs need to come back and protect the Widgets. Those damned Republicans and Democrats have been destroying this country for the last 150 years and we need to do something about it. See, I can be ridiculous as well..

Side note: For those of you that don't know what a Widget is used, if you ever do bring that back as a major part of our lives, be careful where you step.

 

[pyetro]

Funny ratings can't reopen mines.

 

[Dana7360]

Another Donald Trump gut decision goes haywire as coal mines go bankrupt and the existence of communities is threatened.

Perhaps Donald Trump should visit and throw some rolls of toilet paper to these victims of his gut-wrenching policies. "At two of the world's biggest coal mines, the finances got so bad that their owner couldn't even get toilet paper on credit."

Donald Trump's rollback of EPA regulations was not enough to save the coal industry.

The economy of the US is creaking as Donald Trump's gut decisions prove wrong consistently and painfully.

Mine shutdowns in top US coal region bring new uncertainty

Mine shutdowns in top US coal region bring new uncertainty

MEAD GRUVER, Associated Press•September 14, 2019

The shutdown of Blackjewel LLC's Belle Ayr and Eagle Butte mines in Wyoming since July 1, 2019 has added yet more uncertainty to the Powder River Basin's struggling coal economy.

GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) — At two of the world's biggest coal mines, the finances got so bad that their owner couldn't even get toilet paper on credit.

Warehouse technician Melissa Worden divvied up what remained, giving four rolls to each mine and two to the mine supply facility where she worked.

Then mine owner Blackjewel LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 1. Worden figured the accounts would get settled quickly.
"The consensus was: In 30 days, we'll look back on this, and we made it through, and we'll be up and running, and it's a fresh start," Worden said.

What happened instead has shaken the top coal-producing region in the United States. Blackjewel furloughed most of its Wyoming employees and shut down Eagle Butte and Belle Ayr mines, the first idled by hardship since coal mining in the Powder River Basin exploded in the 1970s.

It's a big hit to the region straddling northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana, where coal has quietly supported the economies of both states for decades and fuels a shrinking number of power plants in 28 states.
Negotiations that could reopen the two Wyoming mines under new ownership are stalled more than two months later. Some 600 employees remain off the job. And doubts are growing about the long-term viability of the region's coal mines.

"I don't think we'll ever be that naive again," said Worden, 44.
Blackjewel, based in Milton, West Virginia, told its Wyoming employees this week that the mines might be running again soon and to let the company know if they wanted their jobs back.
Worden said she felt little reassurance. She's not the only one questioning long-held assumptions about Powder River Basin mines, which produce cleaner-burning coal less expensively than mines in other parts of the U.S. and weren't widely thought of being at risk.

But with coal in long-term decline, how the basin might eventually scale down production to a sustainable level has become a big question, said Rob Godby, director of the Center for Energy Economics and Public Policy at the University of Wyoming.

"The irony here — and it's really a cruel irony — is everybody is focused on getting these miners back to work. But really the solution to creating a healthy industry is some mines close," Godby said.

For now, little appears changed in Gillette, a city of 30,000 at the heart of the basin of rolling grasslands where tattoo shops are abundant and big, late-model pickup trucks still cruise the main drag.
This year, however, has been especially tumultuous. Three of the Powder River Basin's nine producers — Westmoreland Coal, Cloud Peak Energy and Blackjewel — have filed for bankruptcy since March. Two others, Arch Coal and Peabody, say they will merge assets in the region.

The turmoil comes as U.S. coal production is down over 30 percent since peaking in 2008. Utilities are retiring aging coal-fired power plants and switching to solar, wind and cheaper and cleaner-burning natural gas to generate electricity despite President Donald Trump's efforts to prop up the coal industry.
A decade ago, about half of U.S. electricity came from coal-fired power. Now it's below 30 percent, a shift that heavy equipment operator Rory Wallet saw as utilities became less willing to lock in multiyear contracts for Belle Ayr mine's coal.

"The market's changed," Wallet said. "The bankruptcies all tie into that."
Wallet, 40, who followed his father into the mine in 2008, said the recent closures and loss of his $80,000-a-year job surprised him. He has four children, and his wife's job at a restaurant in Gillette is their main income while they await news about the mines.

Blackjewel said Thursday that it was working on plans to restart the mines while pursuing their sale. There were no indications in federal bankruptcy court filings that the mines were set to reopen, however.
"This is a fast-moving and sometimes unpredictable process, and accordingly, we do not have answers to all of your questions at this time," the company's statement said.

Wallet is looking for a job and lobbying Wyoming lawmakers to fight harder to force Washington state to approve a port facility expansion that would allow more coal exports to Asia.
"The ports are going to be a big deal. Asia is going to be a big deal," Wallet said.
But Godby said the amount of coal that the proposed export terminal could handle would offset only a small fraction of the amount that production has declined.

Powder River Basin mines employ about 5,000 miners — 20 percent fewer than eight years ago. The impact is even wider because an additional 8,000 jobs, from teachers to car mechanics, have indirect ties to the coal industry.

Locals cheered when Trump lifted a federal moratorium on coal leases, but Worden and Wallet disagree about whether changing environmental regulations will do much good.
Both say coal should continue to have a place alongside renewable energy.
"It needs to be a group effort, not green is on one side and black is on the other," Worden said. "We don't want this community to die." ...

It proves that the regulations that used to be on coal mining weren’t killing the coal industry.

It proves that no one was or is at war on the coal industry.

Burning coal is a dying industry in America. No amount of deregulation will change or stop progress of new energy sources.

The solution is for people to be retrained for the new energy sources.

 

[NightFox]

Another Donald Trump gut decision goes haywire as coal mines go bankrupt and the existence of communities is threatened.

Perhaps Donald Trump should visit and throw some rolls of toilet paper to these victims of his gut-wrenching policies. "At two of the world's biggest coal mines, the finances got so bad that their owner couldn't even get toilet paper on credit."

Donald Trump's rollback of EPA regulations was not enough to save the coal industry.

The economy of the US is creaking as Donald Trump's gut decisions prove wrong consistently and painfully.

Mine shutdowns in top US coal region bring new uncertainty

Mine shutdowns in top US coal region bring new uncertainty

MEAD GRUVER, Associated Press•September 14, 2019

The shutdown of Blackjewel LLC's Belle Ayr and Eagle Butte mines in Wyoming since July 1, 2019 has added yet more uncertainty to the Powder River Basin's struggling coal economy.

GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) — At two of the world's biggest coal mines, the finances got so bad that their owner couldn't even get toilet paper on credit.

Warehouse technician Melissa Worden divvied up what remained, giving four rolls to each mine and two to the mine supply facility where she worked.

Then mine owner Blackjewel LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 1. Worden figured the accounts would get settled quickly.
"The consensus was: In 30 days, we'll look back on this, and we made it through, and we'll be up and running, and it's a fresh start," Worden said.

What happened instead has shaken the top coal-producing region in the United States. Blackjewel furloughed most of its Wyoming employees and shut down Eagle Butte and Belle Ayr mines, the first idled by hardship since coal mining in the Powder River Basin exploded in the 1970s.

It's a big hit to the region straddling northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana, where coal has quietly supported the economies of both states for decades and fuels a shrinking number of power plants in 28 states.
Negotiations that could reopen the two Wyoming mines under new ownership are stalled more than two months later. Some 600 employees remain off the job. And doubts are growing about the long-term viability of the region's coal mines.

"I don't think we'll ever be that naive again," said Worden, 44.
Blackjewel, based in Milton, West Virginia, told its Wyoming employees this week that the mines might be running again soon and to let the company know if they wanted their jobs back.
Worden said she felt little reassurance. She's not the only one questioning long-held assumptions about Powder River Basin mines, which produce cleaner-burning coal less expensively than mines in other parts of the U.S. and weren't widely thought of being at risk.

But with coal in long-term decline, how the basin might eventually scale down production to a sustainable level has become a big question, said Rob Godby, director of the Center for Energy Economics and Public Policy at the University of Wyoming.

"The irony here — and it's really a cruel irony — is everybody is focused on getting these miners back to work. But really the solution to creating a healthy industry is some mines close," Godby said.

For now, little appears changed in Gillette, a city of 30,000 at the heart of the basin of rolling grasslands where tattoo shops are abundant and big, late-model pickup trucks still cruise the main drag.
This year, however, has been especially tumultuous. Three of the Powder River Basin's nine producers — Westmoreland Coal, Cloud Peak Energy and Blackjewel — have filed for bankruptcy since March. Two others, Arch Coal and Peabody, say they will merge assets in the region.

The turmoil comes as U.S. coal production is down over 30 percent since peaking in 2008. Utilities are retiring aging coal-fired power plants and switching to solar, wind and cheaper and cleaner-burning natural gas to generate electricity despite President Donald Trump's efforts to prop up the coal industry.
A decade ago, about half of U.S. electricity came from coal-fired power. Now it's below 30 percent, a shift that heavy equipment operator Rory Wallet saw as utilities became less willing to lock in multiyear contracts for Belle Ayr mine's coal.

"The market's changed," Wallet said. "The bankruptcies all tie into that."
Wallet, 40, who followed his father into the mine in 2008, said the recent closures and loss of his $80,000-a-year job surprised him. He has four children, and his wife's job at a restaurant in Gillette is their main income while they await news about the mines.

Blackjewel said Thursday that it was working on plans to restart the mines while pursuing their sale. There were no indications in federal bankruptcy court filings that the mines were set to reopen, however.
"This is a fast-moving and sometimes unpredictable process, and accordingly, we do not have answers to all of your questions at this time," the company's statement said.

Wallet is looking for a job and lobbying Wyoming lawmakers to fight harder to force Washington state to approve a port facility expansion that would allow more coal exports to Asia.
"The ports are going to be a big deal. Asia is going to be a big deal," Wallet said.
But Godby said the amount of coal that the proposed export terminal could handle would offset only a small fraction of the amount that production has declined.

Powder River Basin mines employ about 5,000 miners — 20 percent fewer than eight years ago. The impact is even wider because an additional 8,000 jobs, from teachers to car mechanics, have indirect ties to the coal industry.

Locals cheered when Trump lifted a federal moratorium on coal leases, but Worden and Wallet disagree about whether changing environmental regulations will do much good.
Both say coal should continue to have a place alongside renewable energy.
"It needs to be a group effort, not green is on one side and black is on the other," Worden said. "We don't want this community to die." ...

How exactly do you figure this is President Twitter's fault? Is he running these two companies in addition to being President or something?

I'd imagine these companies would have gone down a while ago if Donny hadn't done what he has as far as de-regulation, so he should probably be given a thank you for keeping the ball rolling a little bit longer than it would have otherwise.

 

[Correll]

And my point about how unintelligent it is of you, to constantly insult us, and then be surprised that we dont' support you?

Still to complex for you to grasp?

Here is the deal pal. YOu hate us. We realize that, and thus notice that you are actively hostile to our interests.

Thus, we dont' give you our political support.

That you find that to be evidence of something wrong with US, is just you being an insanely stupid asshole.

Your own personal hate is palpable.

You are so naive that you believe that your savior, Donald Trump, will rescue you from your abject existence.

The portents are bad for you. You will become a blubbering whimpering mess after Donald Trump is run outta town.

Get well soon.

1 When you do something like, viciously smear people, and then attack them for not supporting your politically, behavior like that, supports a statement like, "your hate is palpable". To be clear for the slow kids in the class, that is what you are doing.

2. When you point out that someone viciously smeared you, and you explain that that is why you don't believe that they are on your side, and you don't support them politically, that is not "hate".

So according to your rules:

• If I call you hateful that is a smear; but
• If you call me hateful that's not a smear?

1. You did more than just call me hateful. This whole thread opens with and continues with constant attacks on Trump supports, interspersed with attacks on them for not supporting people like you that obviously hate them.

2. And all I did, was point out that, reaching the conclusion that someone that hates you, is not going to represent your interests well, is completely valid, and that your reaction to that, and your behavior is "hateful".

And thus yes, one of those is valid, and the other is not.

I have diagnosed your illness. You are a self-hater with an inferiority complex. You project your hate onto others because you believe yourself unworthy of having any emotions.

Your inability to serious address my points, is accepted as an admission that my points were correct.


Thus we are in agreement. It is absurd for people like you, to hate people like me, and then attack us for not support you.


Which is one of the reasons supporting Trump, in the 2016 election was such an easy decision.

 

[Correll]

But the truth is always a good answer to the lies people like you speak.



The op attacks Trump supporters for supporting him specifically with regards to his pro-Coal stance.

That decision took place when the only other alternative was HILLARY, with her anti-Coal stance.


We've seen what happens, when people like you start to work out the options.


It means people like you talk to yourselves to pretend that you are addressing an issue, while people like me get fucked.


That you pretend that there is anything wrong with our decisions in this regard, is just you being an asshole.

Comradeski, how many times are you going to cut and paste from your GRU playbook this same thing? it's still a lie no matter how many times you post it.

YOur cowardly deflection attempt is noted. YOu are a cowardly asshole.



The op attacks Trump supporters for supporting him specifically with regards to his pro-Coal stance.

That decision took place when the only other alternative was HILLARY, with her anti-Coal stance.


We've seen what happens, when people like you start to work out the options.


It means people like you talk to yourselves to pretend that you are addressing an issue, while people like me get fucked.


That you pretend that there is anything wrong with our decisions in this regard, is just you being an asshole.

You haven't presented a single option except, "I demand it MY way". Hate to break it to you but reality doesn't work that way for any of us. Then you run off at the fingers about "WhataboutHillary". That is sad. That means you don't have a message and are incapable of working on any solution to the problem. Coal has become a secondary source of power and in 5 years, it won't be making any power at all. And that has been it's primary use. Only it's secondary uses will continue.

You and your band or criminals have shouted down every suggestion on a solution to the problem of displaced workers. You have shouted down every mention of helping with the retraining and creating alternative jobs. You don't want solutions. You only want to follow your Rump in a daze and just ignore reality. America is taking names and will be kicking ass. Rump along with Moscow Mitch will be no longer messing things up after next year. We are tired of the Reality TV Show crap and that includes your sideshow Stripper and Donkey act.

1. Coal is now secondary. It only generates 27% of the nations electricity. Which dwarfs all renewables combined, which is only at 17%. Coal will not be gone in 5 years. There could be DECADES of good jobs for a lot of people, that you want to replace with bullshit. You are thus the one ignoring reality.

What is U.S. electricity generation by energy source? - FAQ - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)


2. President Trump is not the one with an irrational hostility to a major sector of the economy, willing to shit can the jobs in it, for no reason.

3. The solution is to milk this cash cow for all it is worth.


4. The counter solutions you offer, have been tried and found wanting time and time again. They are bullshit.


5. IF you win, that just proves that you won, doesnt' prove that you right.

You have presented ZERO suggestions for solutions. You want to have a meaningful discussion, you have to do your part.

Tag, you are it.

My solution to the slow decline of coal is to milk it for all it is worth, while growing the national labor market with better trade and immigration policy, so that as coal declines, there are plenty of opportunities for displaced workers.

 

[Daryl Hunt]

Comradeski, how many times are you going to cut and paste from your GRU playbook this same thing? it's still a lie no matter how many times you post it.

YOur cowardly deflection attempt is noted. YOu are a cowardly asshole.



The op attacks Trump supporters for supporting him specifically with regards to his pro-Coal stance.

That decision took place when the only other alternative was HILLARY, with her anti-Coal stance.


We've seen what happens, when people like you start to work out the options.


It means people like you talk to yourselves to pretend that you are addressing an issue, while people like me get fucked.


That you pretend that there is anything wrong with our decisions in this regard, is just you being an asshole.

You haven't presented a single option except, "I demand it MY way". Hate to break it to you but reality doesn't work that way for any of us. Then you run off at the fingers about "WhataboutHillary". That is sad. That means you don't have a message and are incapable of working on any solution to the problem. Coal has become a secondary source of power and in 5 years, it won't be making any power at all. And that has been it's primary use. Only it's secondary uses will continue.

You and your band or criminals have shouted down every suggestion on a solution to the problem of displaced workers. You have shouted down every mention of helping with the retraining and creating alternative jobs. You don't want solutions. You only want to follow your Rump in a daze and just ignore reality. America is taking names and will be kicking ass. Rump along with Moscow Mitch will be no longer messing things up after next year. We are tired of the Reality TV Show crap and that includes your sideshow Stripper and Donkey act.

1. Coal is now secondary. It only generates 27% of the nations electricity. Which dwarfs all renewables combined, which is only at 17%. Coal will not be gone in 5 years. There could be DECADES of good jobs for a lot of people, that you want to replace with bullshit. You are thus the one ignoring reality.

What is U.S. electricity generation by energy source? - FAQ - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)


2. President Trump is not the one with an irrational hostility to a major sector of the economy, willing to shit can the jobs in it, for no reason.

3. The solution is to milk this cash cow for all it is worth.


4. The counter solutions you offer, have been tried and found wanting time and time again. They are bullshit.


5. IF you win, that just proves that you won, doesnt' prove that you right.

You have presented ZERO suggestions for solutions. You want to have a meaningful discussion, you have to do your part.

Tag, you are it.

My solution to the slow decline of coal is to milk it for all it is worth, while growing the national labor market with better trade and immigration policy, so that as coal declines, there are plenty of opportunities for displaced workers.

And who provides the retraining? We are talking about people that have no means to relocate nor afford the retraining themselves. Most have gone without a paycheck for so long that they have no choice but to take advantage of government welfare heavily just to feed their families.

And who is going to provide the jobs for these newly trained workers?

 

[Correll]

YOur cowardly deflection attempt is noted. YOu are a cowardly asshole.



The op attacks Trump supporters for supporting him specifically with regards to his pro-Coal stance.

That decision took place when the only other alternative was HILLARY, with her anti-Coal stance.


We've seen what happens, when people like you start to work out the options.


It means people like you talk to yourselves to pretend that you are addressing an issue, while people like me get fucked.


That you pretend that there is anything wrong with our decisions in this regard, is just you being an asshole.

You haven't presented a single option except, "I demand it MY way". Hate to break it to you but reality doesn't work that way for any of us. Then you run off at the fingers about "WhataboutHillary". That is sad. That means you don't have a message and are incapable of working on any solution to the problem. Coal has become a secondary source of power and in 5 years, it won't be making any power at all. And that has been it's primary use. Only it's secondary uses will continue.

You and your band or criminals have shouted down every suggestion on a solution to the problem of displaced workers. You have shouted down every mention of helping with the retraining and creating alternative jobs. You don't want solutions. You only want to follow your Rump in a daze and just ignore reality. America is taking names and will be kicking ass. Rump along with Moscow Mitch will be no longer messing things up after next year. We are tired of the Reality TV Show crap and that includes your sideshow Stripper and Donkey act.

1. Coal is now secondary. It only generates 27% of the nations electricity. Which dwarfs all renewables combined, which is only at 17%. Coal will not be gone in 5 years. There could be DECADES of good jobs for a lot of people, that you want to replace with bullshit. You are thus the one ignoring reality.

What is U.S. electricity generation by energy source? - FAQ - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)


2. President Trump is not the one with an irrational hostility to a major sector of the economy, willing to shit can the jobs in it, for no reason.

3. The solution is to milk this cash cow for all it is worth.


4. The counter solutions you offer, have been tried and found wanting time and time again. They are bullshit.


5. IF you win, that just proves that you won, doesnt' prove that you right.

You have presented ZERO suggestions for solutions. You want to have a meaningful discussion, you have to do your part.

Tag, you are it.

My solution to the slow decline of coal is to milk it for all it is worth, while growing the national labor market with better trade and immigration policy, so that as coal declines, there are plenty of opportunities for displaced workers.

And who provides the retraining? We are talking about people that have no means to relocate nor afford the retraining themselves. Most have gone without a paycheck for so long that they have no choice but to take advantage of government welfare heavily just to feed their families.

And who is going to provide the jobs for these newly trained workers?

YOu know that there are tens of thousands of coal miners employed in the US, right now, right? And my question was in response to YOUR question about what to do with CURRENT miners, in the future, as Coal declines.


Are you trying to muddy the water, to confuse the issue? Or just incapable of following your own argument?

 

[Mac1958]

Surely even Trumpsters recognize that the days of dirty energy are numbered.

The least they could do is sincerely advocate for R&D on clean, renewable energy.

You'd think we could all agree on at least THAT.

But I don't think that's allowed in their world.
.

 

[Correll]

Surely even Trumpsters recognize that the days of dirty energy are numbered.

The least they could do is sincerely advocate for R&D on clean, renewable energy.

You'd think we could all agree on at least THAT.

But I don't think that's allowed in their world.
.

Research is ongoing and fine. But the advocates are emotionally invested in systems that, if used to replace "dirty" energy, would cause serious economic hardship.

 

[Mac1958]

Research is ongoing and fine. But the advocates are emotionally invested in systems that, if used to replace "dirty" energy, would cause serious economic hardship.

...at this very moment. And progress is being slowed by an absolute refusal of the Right to participate in good faith.

Hey, here's an idea: Why don't we get a bunch of smart people from all the across the political spectrum together and....

Okay. I'm just kidding. I know America doesn't do that any more.
.

 

[Dana7360]

Surely even Trumpsters recognize that the days of dirty energy are numbered.

The least they could do is sincerely advocate for R&D on clean, renewable energy.

You'd think we could all agree on at least THAT.

But I don't think that's allowed in their world.
.

Research is ongoing and fine. But the advocates are emotionally invested in systems that, if used to replace "dirty" energy, would cause serious economic hardship.

Why?

My state used to have several coal fire plants. All but one are shutdown. That last one is being shutdown now.

We have wind, solar, water & natural gas for energy.

We have the second lowest electric rates in the nation.

So how will converting to clean energy going to cause serious economic hardship?