A 40 Year Growth Cycle Stopped

摘要

The relentless pressure of the contracting coal market spares no one. Currently the first sustained production cuts are taking effect all across Wyoming's prolific Powder River Basin (PRE) and, for the first time since large-scale production began in the late 1970s, the region is bracing for what might be a long-term bearish market. For the trailing 12 months ended June 30, coal production in the PRB was down 4.5% at 448.7 million tons, compared to 469.8 million tons in the prior 12-month period. Unless natural gas prices bottom out and rise, federal emission regulations are delayed, and until new large scale export facilities are built in the Pacific Northwest, the downward trend is likely to continue.