In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Kelli Roemer, a PhD candidate in earth sciences at Montana State University. Roemer discusses a small town in Montana called Colstrip, which historically has been dependent on coal mining and coal-fired power generation. Their conversation examines the importance of the local coal industry to Colstrip’s community and how local stakeholders are planning for the possible closure of the Rosebud Mine and power plant in Colstrip.

References and recommendations:

“The energy transition as fiscal rupture: Public services and resilience pathways in a coal company town” by Kelli F. Roemer and Julia H. Haggerty; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214629622002560

“Coal Communities in Transition: A Case Study of Colstrip, Montana” by Kelli Roemer, Daniel Raimi, and Rebecca Glaser; https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/coal-communities-in-transition-a-case-study-of-colstrip-montana/

“Richest Hill” podcast; https://www.npr.org/podcasts/689406568/richest-hill

“Fireline” podcast; https://www.npr.org/podcasts/975478087/fireline