Thread by @TomMoyerUT

We traveled down to Price, UT today to talk about economic development in coal county with Mayor Mike Kourianos. Mike told me that the best way we can help is to talk about what they’re doing, so here goes a 🧵

Besides being mayor, Mike is a supervisor at the coal plant, working 12-hour shifts. (I don’t know when he sleeps.) His dad was a miner and didn’t want him taking that path. Mike is working to build a thriving community that’ll still be here after the coming energy transition. 2/

We didn’t talk about coal export terminals. We didn’t talk carbon capture, or coal to carbon-fiber. We talked about everything else they’re working on here. We talked about the new 100 MW solar array going in 3 miles from the power plant. seia.org/research-resou…
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The city and the university bought 4MW of that, because it’s both the most sustainable and the lowest cost power. USU Eastern is going to be the first campus in the state running (on paper, anyway) on 100% renewable electricity. (More to follow after dinner.) 4/

Coal is on the way out. Utah is lucky to have time to prepare. Not everyone wants to hear it, but Mike is telling them they’ve got maybe 10 years left. In Gillette, WY, the coal company closed up virtually overnight and left the town holding the bag. trib.com/business/energ…
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Watch this video from @KemGardnerInst. It’s a great overview. “Changes must be made. But let’s not leave behind the people who have made the greatest sacrifice. Coal helped build this country, and America’s coal transition belongs to all of us.”
vimeo.com/348687243
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They’re building mountain bike trails, and we rode them this afternoon. The Utah high school south regional race was also here today. Mike lit up talking about the opportunity to bring hundreds of high schoolers to town to see the university. 7/

Lots of empty buildings on Main Street. They are experimenting with closing it to traffic, bringing in music and food trucks. Mike talked about wanting to put trees down the middle, making it more pedestrian friendly - a place people want to hang out. 8/

They’re working on a visitors center. They’re trying bring in a National Guard facility. They’re growing telework opportunities for Silicon Slopes companies on the Wasatch Front. Lots of people have figured out they can work remotely and would rather get out of town. 9/

We are here because we need them to succeed. As Mike puts it, “There’s a freight train coming at us.”

I’m working to make that freight train come faster. Mike knows it, and he also knows that we aren’t enemies. That train is coming no matter what any of us do.
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We have the same goal. We both want them to be better off after the transition than they are now. The more they can build and diversify their economy now, the better off they’ll be and the faster we can go. 11/

End for now. More tomorrow. We are going to mountain bike tomorrow with Terry Willis, a Price City Councilwoman. Tonight I swung a bat for the first time (I think) since high school. 12/

Nothing to see here. You all should probably just go to Moab … 😀
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Nothing to see here either. Good Water Canyon, San Rafael Swell. 14/

Just up the road, the town of Helper is doing a lot better with revitalization. Lots of rebuilding on Main Street - coffee shops, art galleries, and more. And they’ve got some swagger.
“No longer the gateway. We are the destination.” 15/

Want to help? Go visit Price and spend a little time and money there. They want your business. Want a great mountain bike weekend half as far away as Moab? Go visit Price. Want to accelerate the energy transition? Go visit Price. 😀
/end