News Aug

News August 2020

UW economist Rob Godby commented in a CS-T article that focused on Wyoming lawmakers extending a bill that will allow more tax relief to oil and gas operators in the state.

Assistant Professor Linda Thunstrom was interviewed by VoxEU about her UW economics team’s current research paper, titled “Hesitancy towards a COVID-19 vaccine and prospects for herd immunity.” VoxEU promotes research-based policy analysis and commentary by leading economists. The UW research paper appears on the Centre for Economic Policy Research’s website.

UW economist Rob Godby was interviewed in The Gillette News Record about Peabody Energy Corp. writing down the value of its North Antelope Rochelle mine by $1.42 billion. Godby says the company knows that the mine will unlikely produce again at the levels that made it the most productive coal mine in the United States at one time. The CS-T also interviewed Godby for a similar article.

Forbes interviewed UW economist Rob Godby regarding Peabody Energy and Arch Resources -- the nation’s two largest coal mining companies -- that want to combine their operations in a bid to cut costs and harness economies of scale. The two companies control 60 percent of the Powder River Basin coal industry.

In coal country, PacifiCorp’s plans to spend nearly $4 billion in Wyoming on wind development in the state are welcome news, according to WyoFile. UW’s Godby says the plan is a chance to diversify the economy and move to a fuel-secure outcome where the state could produce electricity for several more decades. Energy News Network published the article.

In an age of global warming, coal consumption is dropping, and renewable energy is rising. Nowhere is that trend more evident than in Wyoming, a state with prodigious amounts of fossil fuels and wind resources, noted The Christian Science Monitor in a feature story. UW economist Rob Godby commented in the article about the decline of coal production during the past decade in the state.

WyoFile published a story on the decline of coal production nationwide and the effect on Wyoming. UW economist Jason Shogren said in the article that, with every challenge to coal, Wyoming chose to increase its wager on the industry’s future, and now production is in a major decline. Energy Now republished the article.

 

News September 2020

County 17 published an E&E News article about repurposing abandoned coal mines for renewable energy projects in West Virginia and Wyoming. UW economist Rob Godby said in the article that former mining sites come with their own sets of considerations and challenges.

County 17 republished an article in which UW economist Rob Godby was interviewed on the fate of a coal merger between the two largest coal companies in the Powder River Basin. The story originally appeared in E&E News.

 

News October 2020

A Bloomberg article indicating that technology used to combat climate change could boost the ailing U.S. coal industry has provoked disagreements between Wyoming and Rocky Mountain Power. The company wants to move away from coal in favor of wind and solar energy. UW economist Rob Godby was interviewed for the article.

The Washington Times published an Associated Press article focusing on a coal mining company that has not secured federal leases for two Powder River Basin mines it bought and reopened almost a year ago. Godby was quoted in the original article.

Godby also commented on a CS-T article on a federal court’s decision that would uphold the Federal Trade Commission’s decision to block a proposed joint venture by two leading coal firms. The decision could have widespread implications for coal production in the Powder River Basin. WyoFile published a related article with Godby’s comments.

A CS-T article quoted UW economist Rob Godby about a little-known utility plan that could have big implications for small Wyoming communities.

The Exponent published an article that quoted UW economist Rob Godby. The original article, titled “Major Wyoming coal company suffers huge losses, plans to divest from thermal coal,” appeared in The CS-T.

 

News November 2020

The Casper Star-Tribune (CS-T) interviewed several Wyoming industry leaders on what a Joe Biden administration would mean for the state’s oil, gas and coal producers. UW economist Chuck Mason said any overhauls to the nation’s energy policies will take time to trickle down to the industries’ producers.

WyoFile interviewed UW economist Rob Godby on Arch Coal’s decision to close its two largest companies in the Powder River Basin even as it looks for a buyer for the properties.

Before last week’s presidential election, UW economist Rob Godby spoke with S&P Global about how the coal industry saw a diminished role in the presidential race. Godby discussed the slim odds for new coal-fired plants being built in the near future.

WyoFile’s latest article on the state’s dwindling coal production focuses on Peabody Energy’s financial outlook that points to an exit from Wyoming coal. UW economist Rob Godby commented on the latest development on Peabody, the largest coal company in the Powder River Basin. The Casper Star-Tribune (CS-T) also published a similar article.

Godby also was interviewed by The St. Louis Post-Dispatch for a column, titled “With coal demand sinking fast, bankruptcy re-enters the conversation at Peabody.” Coal Zoom published a similar article.

 

News December 2020

UW economist Rob Godby was interviewed in a Casper Star-Tribune (CS-T) article that focused on how the Wyoming Legislature is setting aside funds to promote coal production, while some state government entities are facing severe budget cuts. He said money set aside to prop up coal is not a huge amount in the state’s overall budget, but “every dollar counts” during the current recession and pandemic. Coal Zoom also published the article.