Miners Cut Back in Largest U.S. Coal Region Producers in Wyoming and Montana face weaker demand as fuel customers turn to natural gas Updated Dec. 31, 2018 9:22 a.m. ET
Miners in the nations largest coal-producing region are leaving more of the fossil fuel in the ground as prices fall for alternatives, including natural gas, and demand erodes from power-generation customers. Coal production from the Powder River Basin, an arid region spread over parts of Wyoming and Montana that produces about 40% of all U.S. coal, has declined by one-third between 2008 and 2017. It is expected to continue to drop in 2019.