Friday Guest Speaker at UW to Discuss Future of Coal Industry

An energy expert will discuss the future of the U.S. coal industry Friday, April 21, at the University of Wyoming.

Trevor Houser, partner at the economic research firm Rhodium Group, will speak from noon-1 p.m. in the Encana Auditorium of UW’s Energy Innovation Center. His topic: “Can Coal Make a Comeback?”

Houser will preview results from a forthcoming study conducted in partnership with the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University on the future of the U.S. coal industry. Houser and his co-authors analyze the myriad causes of the recent decline in U.S. coal consumption, assess the domestic and international market outlook, and model the impact on U.S. coal production and employment.

The Rhodium Group is a well-known energy-consulting and research group doing analysis on disruptive global trends with an emphasis on energy. It has done work for government, financial, corporate and nonprofit groups, and its research has been widely reported in the media and been used to define policy.

For example, the Rhodium Group’s simulations of the federal Clean Power Plan were used in recent Wyoming coal studies.

Houser also co-directs the Climate Impact Lab, a collaboration of leading research institutions combining climate, economic and data science to quantify the risks climate change presents.