Westerners Travel to Denver to Speak in Opposition to Fundamental Changes to NEPA

Denver, CO – Community leaders from across the Western U.S. traveled to Denver, Colorado today to testify at a hearing held by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the division of the White House charged with implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). In the public hearing, farmers, ranchers, tribal members, environmental experts and others […]

States face massive coal mine cleanup as closures loom, says new report

More than 234 square miles remain unreclaimed in the West after five decades of mining More than a third of all land mined for coal in the Western United States awaits cleanup after a half-century of intensive strip-mining, but a weakening coal industry may be incapable of cleaning it up says a report released today […]

2019 Ad Valorem Mineral Tax Delinquency Update

Powder River Basin Resource Council has been tracking ad valorem mineral production tax (ad valorem tax) debts in 13 Wyoming counties since 2017. This year, the Wyoming County Commissioners Association (WCCA) joined our efforts and collected data from all Wyoming counties. We applaud the Select Committee on Coal/Mineral Bankruptcies for putting forth well thought-out proposals […]

Powder River & WORC Statement in Response to Cloud Peak’s Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Plan

Today in a Delaware bankruptcy court, a federal judge approved Cloud Peak Energy’s plan to get out of bankruptcy. A critical part of the plan is the sale of mines and other property to the Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC), a company wholly owned by the Navajo Nation. In response to the bankruptcy court decision, […]

“When Coal is No Longer King” Panel Discussion

Watch the panel discussion, When Coal is No Longer King from Powder River’s 47th Annual Meeting on November 2, 2019. This year’s theme explored how the state’s economy must change as the coal industry shrinks. Panelists Denise Parrish, Deputy Administrator of the Wyoming Office of Consumer Advocate; Robin Cooley, Director of the Department of Workforce Services, […]

Powder River Statement on Decision Overturning EQC Decision

“We are disappointed in this decision, and are reviewing our options. Time has not stood still, and in the two years since the Environmental Quality Council and Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality’s decision regarding the deficient coal mine permit, the process has been moving forward with further rounds of review. And in these two years, […]

Powder River’s 2019 Annual Report

This is Powder River Basin Resource Council’s 2019 Annual Report. To read the full report, please download the PDF.

Powder River Breaks September – October 2019

September – October 2019, Volume 47, Number 5 On Saturday, Nov. 2, Powder River will host its 47th Annual Meeting at the Holiday Inn in Sheridan. This year’s theme, When Coal is No Longer King: A Conversation on Wyoming’s Future, will explore how the state’s economy must change as the coal industry shrinks. Denise Parrish, […]

Wyoming’s Economic Future is Topic of Powder River Annual Meeting

47th Annual Meeting Scheduled for Nov. 2nd in Sheridan On Saturday, Nov. 2, Powder River Basin Resource Council will host its 47th Annual Meeting at the Holiday Inn in Sheridan. This year’s theme, When Coal is No Longer King: A Conversation on Wyoming’s Future, will explore how the state’s economy must change as the coal […]

Powder River Files Complaint Alleging Contura Mine Violations

August 28, 2019 This week Powder River Basin Resource Council (Resource Council) filed a citizen complaint with the federal Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation Enforcement (OSMRE) and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) regarding mine violations at the Belle Ayr and Eagle Butte coal mines, which have been shut down since Blackjewel filed […]