Coal is still mined in Colorado but the coal industry in Colorado is declining.
Colorado produced around 12.7 million metric tons of coal in 2022 which is less than the 21.8 million metric tons of coal that was produced in Colorado in 2014.
The state of Colorado has 7 active coal mines which are located on the western slope of the state of Colorado.
The reason why Wyoming has so much coal is because of the unique geology and climate of Wyoming which once existed when the coal formed.
The climate at the time the coal was formed in Wyoming was mostly humid and warm which was suitable for the substantial growth of vegetation in freshwater and brackish water swamps.
As a result organic material which accumulated in those environments were buried and then transformed into coal that is now found across Wyoming.
The state that has the largest coal reserve is Montana followed by Wyoming.
Montana holds nearly a third of the nation's total coal reserves and most of the coal reserves are located in the Powder River Basin which extends into Wyoming.
The state that burns the most coal is the state of Texas which burns around 962 trillion British Thermal units of coal for electricity generation a year.
The country that burns the most coal is China.
China burns as much as 91.94 exajoules of coal a year.
The country that is richest in coal is the United States which has an estimated 252 billion short tons of coal in reserve.
The biggest coal miner in the world is Coal India Limited which is a state controlled Indian company that is based on production volume.
However China Shenhua Energy is often considered one of the leading coal mining companies globally based on market capitalization and also production figures.
The biggest coal mine in the US is the North Antelope Rochelle Coal Mine in Wyoming.
In 2021 the coal mine produced around 76.51 million metric tons of coal per year and is located in Wyoming's Powder River basin and is owned by Peabody Energy Corp.
The North Antelope Rochelle Coal Mine is a surface mine which uses trucks, shovels and draglines to remove overburden and the coal is then transported by trucks and trains for shipment.
The worst coal mining disaster in US history was the Monongah Mine Disaster in West Virginia.
The Monongah Mine Disaster in West Virginia occurred on December 6th 1907 and happened in Monongah, West Virginia at the Fairmont Coal Company's Number 6 and Number 8 mines.
The cause of the Monongah Mine Disaster in West Virginia was an explosion that destroyed the mine and the surface and blocked entrances and caused cave ins and released deadly gases.
The official death toll from the Monongah Mine Disaster in West Virginia was 362 but it's estimated that closer to 500 people died.
On April 26, 1942, in the Benxihu (Honkeiko) coal mine in Liaoning Province, China, what is believed to be the worst mining disaster in history occurred when a coal dust explosion killed over 1,500 people.
The mention of 59 died to save 1 in a mine disaster, is actually based on a real life mining disaster at the Jokerville Mine, in Crested Butte, Colorado.
The disaster occurred on January 24, 1884.
On April 26, 1942 A coal-dust explosion at Benxihu Colliery in Japanese occupied China killed 1,549 making it the worst disaster in the history of coal mining superseding the 1,099 death toll of the Courrières mine disaster in 1906 and the second worst recorded energy accident, in terms of lives lost on a single day.