Coal Operations
By Fort Collins Science Center
September 2016 (approx.)
Detailed Description
Some of the coal mined in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming comes from surface mines like this one.
The BLM administers coal leasing on approximately 570 million acres of federal mineral estate. Coal continues to be a large source of energy in the United States, but the continuing low cost of natural gas has spurred a shift away from coal for retail energy production.
Photo by BLM Wyoming Coal Operations | Some of the coal mined in the Powder River… | Flickr