Kemmerer Leaders Plan for Mine Closure Set for End of 2029

The Kemmerer coal mine is scheduled to shut down at the end of 2029, but Mayor Robert Bowen says the facility still has contracts to complete and reserves left to mine. Bowen noted that roughly 9 million tons of coal sit across U.S. Highway 30 on leased land. Reaching those reserves requires moving the highway at a cost of $30 million, half of which was appropriated by the Legislature. The mine's owner paused the project in 2024 because of declining demand, leaving the funding on hold.

Bowen said he is looking for buyers who want coal for uses other than power generation. In 2024, investors announced plans to produce skincare products from Kemmerer coal at a site near the mine. Production at the mine has fallen 44% from its 2015 high of 4.5 million tons.

Lincoln County Board of Commissioners Chair Kent Connelly said the county is already managing a budget shortfall. Connelly said his budget dropped by $4 million over the last two years as the Naughton power plant shifted from coal to natural gas. A full mine closure would cost about $2 million in southwest Wyoming, he said.

County records show the mine employed 345 people five years ago. That number now stands at 144, and 45% of those workers commute from outside the area. Connelly said his three children all found work in Utah because jobs are scarce locally. He said about 25 people on his block are in the same position.

Dick Borino retired from the mine in 1995 after working there for 22 years. He started in 1973 and said the mine offered better pay than most jobs available then. Borino said the coal sent to the power plant was low quality. He said he does not expect a closure to change much in Kemmerer.

Kemmerer receives the largest share of the mine's tax revenue because it is the most populated place in Lincoln County. Bowen said the city might have to choose between plowing and paving roads if that money disappears. He also said the local event center and other recreation services are heavily subsidized by tax dollars. Impact assistance funds from the Natrium nuclear project are covering part of the city's budget now, but Bowen said that money ends when construction finishes.