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Coal at Sunset: No More Ghost Towns (S1 Ep5)

Coal at Sunset: No More Ghost Towns (S1 Ep5)

FromLaws of Notion


Coal at Sunset: No More Ghost Towns (S1 Ep5)

FromLaws of Notion

ratings:
Length:
33 minutes
Released:
Dec 6, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

There are estimated to be more than a thousand ghost towns in Colorado. Each one represents a failed economic transition. So for Craig, Colorado, the stakes are clear. Transitions require resources and support. In 2019, Colorado created the first state-level Office of Just Transition in the nation. It was designed to help coal towns like Craig strategize for the future. But in the early going, the office didn't have any funding. It didn't have anyone to run it. And unbeknownst at the time, a global pandemic was about to begin. In this episode, we meet Wade Buchanan, who stepped in to run the Office of Just Transition. He wanted to show that the government could deliver for Craig and other rural communities. He wanted to help. Would it be enough? To hear bonus clips and find additional resources, visit https://coalatsunset.org/ Host: Kristan Uhlenbrock Guests: • Wade Buchanan, Executive Director, Office of Just Transition • Duane Highley, CEO, Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association • Jennifer Holloway, Executive Director, Craig Chamber of Commerce • Bob Rankin, State Senator, District 8 Coal at Sunset: A Colorado Town in Transition was created by the Institute for Science & Policy at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and produced in partnership with House of Pod. 
Released:
Dec 6, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (35)

In rural northwestern Colorado, the town of Craig is at a crossroads. Coal has long been the primary employer and economic driver in this small, tight-knit community, which takes pride in providing energy to the surrounding region. Here, coal is an identity. A duty. A way of life. But something is about to change. In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Colorado is moving on from fossil fuels. And in 2020, Tri-State, the local electrical utility, announced that it would close the Craig coal-fired power plant and coal mines by the end of the decade. Now, residents face an uncertain future. Some business owners and local officials are seeking to reinvent Craig’s economy. Others still hold out hope of a coal revival. This is a story about the energy we use every day. But it's also a story about values and resilience in the face of change. Craig is only the latest American coal town to face a transition. It won't be the last. Can it succeed where others have failed? Coal at Sunset: A Colorado Town in Transition was created by the Institute for Science & Policy at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and is produced in partnership with House of Pod.