PacifiCorp Decision May Spur 'Just Transition' For Coal Workers, Communities

By Eric Galatas, Public News Service

January 25, 2021

ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. -- All eyes will be on the Wyoming Public Service Commission this week as PacifiCorp is expected to announce earlier closing dates for units three and four at the Jim Bridger Power Plant in Rock Springs.

Michele Irwin, organizer for the Powder River Basin Resource Council, said now is the time for Wyoming lawmakers to be proactive to ensure workers and communities that helped power the nation in the 20th century are not forgotten.

"We wouldn't be the nation that we are today without that energy," Irwin remarked. "We need to be thinking about the workforce that was involved in that, the coal miners that have lost their jobs in Appalachia, the coal miners in the Powder River Basin."

Irwin pointed to a new plan released in Colorado, which outlines 29 ways to assist communities and workers, as utility companies turn to lower-cost renewables to generate electricity, by realigning existing state programs.

Wyoming lawmakers have so far gone in the opposite direction, betting new technologies including carbon capture will allow the coal industry to continue to operate.

A new Yale University survey found 83% of Americans support a jobs program for former coal workers to safely shut down mines and restore natural landscapes.

Chris Markuson, director of Colorado state economic transition policy for the BlueGreen Alliance, helped draft Colorado's plan, and said creating good, family-sustaining jobs are key to its success.

"Collective bargaining of benefits is really critical in this plan," Markuson explained. "And making sure that health care, pensions are at the center of what a good job looks like."

Irwin noted the plan shows it's possible to shift existing resources to provide coal workers with a number of options to meet their families' needs.

They can elect to retire early, get training for a different career, or stay right where they are.

Irwin added coal miners have a unique skill set for remediation work and restoring natural ecosystems.

"Our workers in Wyoming that have worked in coal are good workers," Irwin remarked. "We don't want them to leave. What does it take to get them to stay within the state if those good coal jobs go away?"

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