The vast coal seams beneath the Northern Plains have fueled boasts by industry representatives and elected officials of enough coal in domestic reserves to power the U.S. for centuries. But a government analysis says that at current prices and mining rates the country’s largest coal reserves will be tapped out in just a few decades. But an exhaustive government analysis says that at current prices and mining rates, the country’s largest coal reserves, situated along the Montana-Wyoming border, will be tapped out in just a few decades. The finding by the U.S. Geological Survey upends conventional wisdom on the lifespan for the nation’s top coal-producing region, the Powder River Basin. It also reflects the changing economic realities for companies seeking to profit off extracting the fuel as mining costs rise, coal prices fall and political pressure grows over coal’s contribution to climate change. “You’re looking at […]