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. The nearby coal plant and mines will close by decade's end as Colorado moves on from fossil fuels. Now, Craig faces an uncertain future. Some business owners and local officials are seeking reinvention. Others still hold out hope of a coal revival. 

This is a story about the energy we use every day. But it's also about 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?  

A new series from the Institute for Science & Policy at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, produced in partnership with House of Pod.

For more information, visit coalatsunset.org

There's a popular saying in Craig, Colorado: "Coal keeps the lights on."

But in 2020, the electrical utility Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association announced that it would close its coal-fired power plant and coal mines in Craig by 2030. The news was like an earthquake. Hundreds of jobs would be lost. The town now faces the prospect of massive economic disruption as its primary industry disappears.

In our first episode, we travel to Craig and hear from the CEO at the center of that decision, a coal worker bracing for change, and one local business owner who's already looking for ways to reinvent the town's identity. What will Craig do now?

To explore more from this episode, visit https://coalatsunset.org/episodes/episode-1-the-decision/

Host: Kristan Uhlenbrock

Guests: 
• Duane Highley, CEO, Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association
• Jennifer Holloway, Executive Director, Craig Chamber of Commerce
• Kirstie McPherson, owner, 518 Wine Bar & The Find
• Graham Roberts, environmental supervisor, Trapper Mining Inc.

Coal at Sunset: A Colorado Town in Transition was created by the Institute for Science & Policy at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and was produced in partnership with House of Pod.

To hear bonus clips and find additional resources, visit https://coalatsunset.org/

In our second episode, we travel inside the Craig coal-fired station to learn more about the science and economics of coal amidst a rapidly changing renewable energy landscape. For centuries, society has relied on coal because it's been dependable. Reserves can be stored indefinitely and burned as needed to meet electricity demand in any weather, any time of day.

But coal has been losing ground to renewables like wind and solar for decades as the prices of cleaner, greener technologies have come way down. And now, Colorado has made greenhouse gas reductions a priority. Coal is no longer the market driver it once was.

Energy is a global challenge. But the transition is well underway. What will the state reasonably be able to achieve over the next decade? And what will that mean for our electricity?

To hear bonus clips and additional resources for this episode, visit https://coalatsunset.org/episodes/episode-2-the-cost/

Host: Kristan Uhlenbrock

Guests:

• Tim Osborn, plant manager, Craig station

• Suzanne Tegen, Assistant Director, Center for the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University

• Bob Rankin, Colorado 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. 

For more, visit https://coalatsunset.org/

Why is Colorado phasing out coal? Simply put: Planet Earth is warming up. Fast. For decades, scientific evidence has pointed to significant human influence on our climate, dating back to the Industrial Revolution. Burning fossil fuels like coal releases significant amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, accelerating global warming. 

Climate change increases the volatility in our systems. And the catastrophic effects are already being felt. The U.S. has experienced a record-breaking number of weather disasters in recent years, including droughts, hurricanes, and wildfires. 

In 2019, the Colorado legislature took its boldest step yet toward addressing climate change. House Bill 1261 committed Colorado to a 50% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and a 90% reduction by 2050. Almost every sector would be affected.

Electrical utilities, like Tri-State would need to generate more of their power from renewables like wind and solar. The bill signaled the beginning of the end for coal plants in the state.

For others, the bill was seen as an overreach and another example of the glaring rural-urban divide in America today.

How do we balance the need to protect the planet with the need to protect livelihoods?

To explore more from this episode, visit https://coalatsunset.org/episodes/episode-3-you-knew/

Host: Kristan Uhlenbrock

Guests:

• Waleed Abdalati, Director of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder

• Ray Beck, retired Moffat County commissioner and former mayor of Craig

• KC Becker, former Colorado Speaker of the House

• Jennifer Holloway, Executive Director of the Craig Chamber of Commerce

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.

To hear bonus clips and find additional resources, visit https://coalatsunset.org/

Think about timber mills closing in rural areas of the Pacific Northwest. Or fisheries collapsing in New England. Or Midwestern automotive factories moving offshore. Some of those communities managed to survive. Many didn’t.

Since the mid-2000s, coal closures have washed over the U.S. like a wave.

As President, Donald Trump pledged he'd restore the livelihoods of coal workers. But by the end of his term, coal jobs were as endangered as ever.

In Appalachia, closures hit small towns hard. Muhlenberg, Kentucky. Manchester, Ohio. McDowell County, West Virginia. The list goes on. Schools, hospitals, and other public services withered. People moved away.

We wanted to get some national perspective on coal-impacted communities. We wanted to see what we've learned from other towns that are further ahead in their transitions. Most of all, we wanted to know if Craig could succeed where others failed.

To explore more from this episode, visit https://coalatsunset.org/episodes/episode-4-the-other-craigs/

Host: Kristan Uhlenbrock
Guests: 

• Heidi Binko, Executive Director of the Just Transition Fund

• Chris Markuson, Director of Colorado and State Economic Transition Policy at the BlueGreen Alliance

• Kirstie McPherson, owner of 518 Wine Bar and The Find

• Tim Wohlgenant, Executive Director, Yampa Valley Community Foundation

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. 

To hear bonus clips and find additional resources, visit https://coalatsunset.org/

This story from late September looks at sidewalks. (Yes, sidewalks.) Denver’s sidewalks are in a sorry state. And that’s if you’re lucky enough to live in a neighborhood that has them at all. They’re broken, crumbling, and in desperate need of repair. But who should pay for that? It’s a trickier question than it may seem. As you’ll hear, this topic is a great example of how hyper local policies can have big impacts on our daily lives.

Each weekday, City Cast Denver features in-depth conversations just like this one, showcasing the artists, politicians, activists, and leaders who make the city great, plus daily news updates. If you like what you hear, be sure to subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts.

Find even more from City Cast Denver via their newsletter (https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/) or on Twitter at @citycastdenver.

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. 

Coal enabled a way of life in Craig that many cherish. A close-knit small town community is still a draw. But for those growing up here now, knowing big changes are ahead, will that feeling be enough for them to stay?

In this episode, we look beyond coal and energy to examine some of the other opportunities that Craig will need to build out to retain and attract students and families. Education will be crucial. At Colorado Northwestern Community College, for example, new programs in aviation, cybersecurity, and paleontology might provide other career avenues.

There's new creative energy coming in to Craig already. We see it in the public art sector, and the young business owners starting to make investments here. The next generation will find very different opportunities here than their parents did. Maybe that's what it takes to move beyond what's defined the town for so long.

Host: Kristan Uhlenbrock
Guests: 

• Marie Bolton, student, Colorado Mesa University
• Ariane Caldwell, Secretary, Northwest Colorado Arts Council
• Lisa Jones, President, Colorado Northwestern Community College (CNCC)
• Melanie Kilpatrick, Executive Director, Northwest Colorado Arts Council
• Sue Mock, paleontology coordinator, CNCC
• Sasha Nelson, Executive Director, Workforce Education and Economic Development, CNCC
• Brittany Young, Assistant Director, Craig Chamber of Commerce

Coal at Sunset was created by the Institute for Science & Policy at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and produced in partnership with House of Pod. To hear bonus clips and find additional resources, visit https://coalatsunset.org/