Powder River Basin
|This article is part of the CoalSwarm coverage of coal and power industry data|
The Powder River Basin (PRB) is a region in southeast Montana and northeast Wyoming about 120 miles east to west and 
Powder River Basin
|This article is part of the CoalSwarm coverage of coal and power industry data|
The Powder River Basin (PRB) is a region in southeast Montana and northeast Wyoming about 120 miles east to west and 200 miles north to south known for its coal deposits. It is the single largest source of coal mined in the United States and contains one of the largest deposits of coal in the world. Most of the active coal mining in the Powder River Basin actually takes place in drainages of the Cheyenne River. Because of the Powder River Basin, Wyoming has been the top coal-producing state in the United States since 1988.
The majority of the coal mined in the PRB is part of the Fort Union Formation. Because of its low sulfur and fly ash content, this coal is exported outside the region and supplies of the coal in the region makes it very desirable. Coal supplies about half of the United States electricity supplies, with the PRB mines supplying around 40% of the coal that fuels those stations, mainly to the east of the Rocky Mountains.
- 1 Production
- 2 Projections of future production
- 3 Reserves
- 4 Coal mining companies currently operating in the Powder River Basin
- 5 Power plants fueled from Powder River Basin coal
- 6 Coalbed methane
- 7 Coal Gasification
- 8 Transportation
- 9 Powder River Basin Coal Operations
- 9.1 State of Montana Sides with Arch Coal in Court Challenge
- 9.2 Peabody sends Powder River Basin coal to Europe
- 9.3 DM&E Project
- 9.4 Legislative proposals
- 9.5 Report released outlining risks and costs of Powder River Basin coal mining expansion
- 9.6 Tennessee plant closure dents PBR coal demand
- 9.7 American Electric Power's plant closures to impact PBR coal production
- 9.8 Cloud Peak Energy to ship more Powder River Basin coal to Asia
- 10 Legislative and legal issues
- 11 Ownership
- 12 Activism and litigation
- 13 Coal Mines of the Powder River Basin
- 14 Northwest ports to be used to export Powder River Basin coal to Asian markets
- 14.1 Proposed Millennium Bulk Logistics Longview Terminal
- 14.2 Proposed Terminal: Gateway Pacific Terminal
- 14.3 Port of St. Helens in Oregon potential candidate for coal export to Asia
- 14.4 Port of Coos Bay in Oregon considers coal exports
- 14.5 Railroad company looks at Port of Grays Harbor in Washington State for coal exports
- 14.6 Industry action
- 15 New coal leases
- 16 Warren Buffett and Bill Gates visit federal coal lands
- 17 Coal Prices
- 18 Citizen activism
- 18.1 Montana Land Board Faces Opposition
- 18.2 Opposition to Governor Schweitzer's Otter Creek Position
- 18.3 Earthjustice Sues State of Montana
- 18.4 Planned lawsuit against BLM over leases and greenhouse gas emissions
- 18.5 Group Seeks to Stall Montana Coal Railroad
- 18.6 BLM denies request to change coal leasing process
- 18.7 200 million ton coal lease in Wyoming overturned
- 18.8 Environmental groups sue BLM over coal leases in Wyoming
- 18.9 Activists rally in Portland against exporting coal from Northwest ports
- 18.10 Activists vow to target coal in Wyoming
- 18.11 Seattle City Council opposes coal export ports
- 18.12 Washington state Democrats pass export resolutions
- 18.13 Coal protesters occupy state Capitol to protest proposed coal mine set to export
- 18.14 Montana coal protesters make court appearance
- 19 Citizen groups
- 20 Powder River Basin coal and Texas
- 21 Resources
In 2007, the Powder River Basin alone produced 436 million short tons (396 million tonnes) of coal, more than twice the production of second-place West Virginia, and more than the entire Appalachian region. Overall, the Powder River Basin accounts for about 37 percent of U.S. coal production. The Black Thunder Mine and the North Antelope Rochelle Mine are the most productive coal mines in the United States; in 2006 Black Thunder Mine alone produced 84 million metric tons of coal, more than any state except Wyoming, West Virginia, and Kentucky.
In 2009 Wyoming coal production dipped 8.5 percent compared to 2008. As of June 2010 Wyoming production was down 2.8 percent compared to the same time in 2009.
Over a two month period, from May 2010 to July 2010, market prices for Powder River Basin coal had jumped from $11.50 to $14.50 per short ton.
Projections of future production
In November of 2009 the bank HSBC released a report entitled, "The Green Side of Black" that made estimates about coal's involvement in the future of the U.S. energy economy. In it, the bank reported that coal, even under cap-and-trade, will be a lucrative industry in the future. The author of the report also stated that Wyoming's Powder River Basin will be growing faster than other coal regions in the United 