• Kemmerer Operations serves as employment and tax base for entire county

Kemmerer Operations is preparing for a 2029 closure of the coal operations in South Lincoln County.

The mine serves as employment for some 150 people and provides an estimated tax base of just over $6 million for Lincoln County.

Before converting to natural gas operations, the adjoining Rocky Mountain Power Plant used the coal mine as a supply to generate power.

Shumway also noted the Kemmerer mine serves as a coal source for the trona mining operations in southwest Wyoming.

RELATED: RADIO INTERVIEW WITH LC COMMISSIONER MEL SHUMWAY – 

A request for an interview with SVI was declined, however Lincoln County Commissioner Mel Shumway addressed the closure in his regularly scheduled commission interview for the Weekday Wake-Up program.

“That’s extremely disheartening to read and to hear about,” Shumway said Monday morning. “Kemmerer operations has slowly been kind of scaling back some other operations through the years. They have current contracts with a couple of the Trona mines.”

He suggested there may still be possibilities with exporting the coal. “I’m just thinking in light of hearing of the coal upswing with the announcement of the Oakland coal port.” He continued, “Utah would struggle to fill that contract out there so they’d have to reach out to other states and Wyoming is a logical choice to reach out to.”

Looking at the anticipated closure time, Shumway added,

“I’m sure more will come out as they move forward but 2029 is coming right down the road fast, and that would be a really big hit to our Lincoln County economy, as far as taxes, plus just the employment.”

Again he referenced disheartening as it applies to the employees of the mine.

“I mean, there’s just so many good people that work at the mine, and it’s disheartening to hear that,” Shumway said. “Hopefully we can gather more information. There has been talk of new owners wanting to come in and purchase and run the operations, but nothing has been concrete and solidified.”

Shumway noted earlier Legislative measures that helped fund a study and expenses with moving a state highway, allowing for more coal production.  “Those plans are still on the shelf. They’re shovel ready and ready to go. They’re engineered and ready to go.”

Noting the study and funding, he said. “There’s options to keep the mind and are viable in light of the energy needs across the west, the country and the world. The coal mine is really a logical to keep going.”

The commissioner advised that full use of the mine could still be possible.

Shumway concluded, “Hopefully, we can work through some of that and find people that’s willing to step up.”