Coal Mining NAICS 2121

Jul 27, 2025 - Longer Life Expectancy

• A new Wood Mackenzie report predicts an extended sunset period for coal as a US power source. The report found that rising electricity demand and a slowdown in the buildout of alternative power generation sources could extend the use of coal globally and displace 2,100 GW of gas and renewables by 2050. While in the US coal is more expensive than gas or solar and storage, the cost of building new gas power plants has nearly doubled and long-duration energy storage technology isn’t mature enough to convert solar and wind into true “baseload” resources, per the report. It’s also becoming more expensive to replace aging coal plants with gas and renewables, causing “sticker shock” for power producers looking to switch. The report blames tariffs, reshoring, and infrastructure delays for pushing up the cost of new solar and a near-doubling of costs for new gas power plants.
• The scheduled retirement dates of dozens of coal-fired US power plants are being canceled as growth in energy demand and changes in environmental regulations keep the plants online, The New York Times reports. Wyoming’s 66-year-old Dave Johnston Power Plant – one of the oldest in the US that’s situated on the edge of the nation’s largest coal mine – was slated to close in 2027, but its planned retirement was canceled. According to a NYT analysis, utilities have extended the life of nearly a third of coal units with planned retirement dates. A 2023 study by Energy Innovation showed that 99% of operating US coal plants were more expensive to operate than replacement by local wind, solar, and energy storage resources. Some 780 coal units have retired since 2000 leaving the US with about 400, according to new data from the Global Energy Monitor cited by NYT.

• Cuts to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, threaten miners’ safety just as the Trump administration seeks to expand mining in the US, NPR reports. The president of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) condemned the cuts, stating “This is not just an attack on jobs. This is an attack on the very foundation of worker safety in the United States of America.” UMWA president said the dismantling of the Respiratory Disease Division at NIOSH eliminates the nation’s leading defense against black lung disease and other respiratory illnesses that afflict miners. In March, President Trump signed an executive order fast tracking permitting and expanding mining in the US. The cuts at NIOSH followed soon after. More mining means more miners to protect. However, miners' protections are being stripped away, according to UMWA.
• Producer prices for coal mining firms rose 1.5% in June compared to a year ago, after rising 4.4% in the previous June-versus-June annual comparison, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Employment by coal mines shrank 5.3% year over year in June, while average wages at mining firms rose 2.9% YoY in May to $35.85 per hour, BLS data show. Competition from cleaner alternative energy sources – notably natural gas for electricity – has led to declining demand for coal and coal miners, whose numbers are down nearly 40% over the past decade, according to BLS figures.