After years of study, three Utah coal mines are poised to expand into new federally leased lands that promise to keep them humming for another decade, securing hundreds of treasured mining jobs in rural communities.
But with U.S. markets for this coal are far from certain, mine operators are seeking chances to export it across the Pacific Ocean.
To that end, Utah officials have tried to help fund two major ventures: building a 43-mile rail line connecting the state’s biggest mine with a coal load-out in Levan and putting $53 million toward construction of a rail-to-ship export terminal in Oakland...