INSIDE ENERGY: In Wyoming, Coal Culture Runs Deep

Aug 4, 2014

Several members of Gillette's roller derby team are real coal miner's daughters.
Credit Leigh Paterson

Girls in clunky roller skates whizz past their coach. They're sweaty, rowdy, and covered in tattoos. Gillette's roller derby team proudly represents coal country, as does their name.

"We’re called the Coal Miner’s Daughters, number one because Loretta Lynn rocks!" Katie Buffington, president of the team, explained. "Number two because coal is the main source of income in the area. And we really wanted to get back to our roots, where we come from."

And yes, there are actual coal miner's daughters on the team. And others, like Buffington are coal miners themselves.

"Coal is so deeply rooted in the community that you really can’t go anywhere without meeting a coal miners daughter, at roller derby or not," Buffington said.

Maybe that’s because one out of every hundred Wyoming residents works in the coal industry. And the state produces a whopping 40% of the nation's coal. So, despite concern over climate change, competitive natural gas prices, and greater availability of renewables, Wyoming’s coal industry lives on.

In Gillette, a town of 30,000 in northeastern Wyoming, the hard black rock is everywhere you look: from the coal trains running right through town, to the 'Friends of Coal' bumper stickers, to the watering holes where miners blow off steam.

Lakeside Liquor & Lounge is a popular miner's bar, just off the main drag in Gillette. The day I visited, several men sat nursing drinks while the bartender made small talk. It was a normal scene except for the time: 8am.


"Hi Granny in New York," Goodsell said with a grin.  "Forty percent of your nation's energy comes from coal, and we’re talking about electricity.  We have a huge pile of coal underneath our feet. It's easily obtainable, its not hard to get and its easy to make electricity out of.  So, what else would your granny ask hahaha?"






But Tom Drean, of Wyoming's State Geological Survey, is cautious.




"Something does need to change. Because the way it's going, some mines are doing better than others. And it is one of the main sources of income in this area.  If the coal mines were to shut down, so would Wyoming."