Wyoming Nearing Important Mining Milestone

The state of Wyoming will celebrate an important industrial milestone later this month.

Data from the Wyoming State Geological Survey indicates that Wyoming will mine its 10 billionth ton of coal during the month of May.

Marion Loomis, the executive director of the Wyoming Mining Association, says the state should be able to continue mining coal at its current pace for decades.

“We certainly have the reserves and the infrastructure in place to continue producing at this rate for 50 to 100 years,” Loomis said. “The concerns are regulatory and what will happen with new rules and laws that will determine how we burn coal.”

Loomis says he’s proud of the work done by Wyoming’s coal producers.

“We’ve generated revenues that have built almost all of the new schools in the state that you see from Jackson to Cheyenne and from Evanston to Sheridan,” Loomis said. “We’re very proud of that, too.”

State geologists say, as of January of this year, over 9.8 billion tons of coal have been extracted from mines in Wyoming.

In a Tuesday press release, Gov. Matt Mead said Wyoming produces over 40 percent of the coal used in the United States.