On Thursday, at an energy conference in Houston, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency emphasized that under a plan to cut carbon emissions, coal will still be an important part of the nation's energy mix.
Just hours earlier, the head of the largest coal company in the US, Peabody Energy Corporation, called the Clean Power Plan “ludicrous,” saying that it would cripple the economy for little environmental benefit. EPA administrator Gina McCarthy then took the stage with the opposite message: the plan won’t increase costs or affect the reliability of our electrical grid.
"Honestly, we’re still seeing coal," she said. "And we know the Powder River Basin produces some good coal and that coal will still be a part of this energy mix. And we know that Wyoming has tremendous opportunities in other ways in which it can address this plan."
There is clearly disagreement over how Wyoming’s coal industry will be impacted. But as Wyoming Public Radio's Stephanie Joyce reported, Public Service Commissioner Al Minier has said it would be "very bad for the state of Wyoming."