Coal competing with oil and gas for space on rail In 2010, Chuck West, manager of coal procurement for one of the country’s largest power generators, American Electric Power, rode a train down from the coal fields of Wyoming to Denver. Out the window, he took note of the many empty coal cars parked along the tracks. Coal shipments have been on the decline since 2008 as low gas prices invigorated coal-to-gas switching at power plants. In 2008, coal reached a 20-year peak in railroad shipments. By 2013, it was at the lowest point during the same period of time. Last winter, when AEP was getting low on its coal supply, Mr. West thought back to that trip. Unlike some other generators facing a coal shortage because they couldn’t get the fuel delivered in time, AEP squeaked by on its reserves. “But it was a long three months,” he told […]