Relax, Everything is Going to be Okay!

[WyoCoalMiner]

Do you mine on any private land? Whats the cost there?

Yes. It depends on the pit and the overall cost of mining in that pit. In general, the higher the cost to mine, the lower the royalty rate. All of our private leases are the same landowner. One is roughly the same as the prior Fed rate, this is a pretty small area and very few tons come from this lease. All others are lower than the current 7% Fed rate.

Well it'd be zero for the federal govt - but i have a feeling itd be more than 7%, right?

If a mine stops producing then there is nothing to pay a royalty on. You could make the rate 50% and it wouldn't matter. This is a very much the reality for many mines. Not all, there are still many really good deposits in the West but not as many as say 10 years ago. Reducing the royalty rate helps reduce overall costs which helps keep the operation running and the cash flowing to the Feds and State.

 

[SAJ-99]

You can now put them back to work in the meat packing houses. Especially to relace those legal immigrants that have bee deported.

Got your kids signed up?

I signed up for everything. Meat cutting, apple picking, lettuce harvesting, mining, ICE... have to keep the options open.

 

[Buffs35]

The state and counties of Wyoming get to pick up the difference to the tune of $50 million thanks to the reduction in coal royalties. Add in the 50% cut in O&G royalties and the resource extractions counties are getting a major screw over with this provision in the BBB.

Forecasters: Big Beautiful Bill will cost Wyoming $50M in coal royalties - WyoFile

Higher severance and ad valorem payments are not expected to offset federal mineral royalty reductions, according to state financial forecasters.

wyofile.com

These rural areas either get to pay more in taxes or accept less in services. All the while, the operations in these rural counties still have the same impact on the local infrastructure.

If Americans want these resources, they ought to be willing to pay for the full costs incurred to bring these resources to market. Cutting royalties that are split with local governments is a huge kick in the crotch to these rural areas. But, Americans pay a fraction of a penny less for a gallon of gas.

So to the title of this thread: NO, everything is not OK for the folks like those in rural Wyoming and other places the rely on royalty splits to help keep critical infrastructure in place. When Congress cuts royalty rates to pay their political debts, it's really these rural counties who are writing the checks.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

As a lover of the rural west, I'm worried what will be left.

 

[SaskHunter]

So 1920’s! Get with the times. We use mules for the work these days.

This dude just fixed the wild horse problem in one post!!!

Wild Horses 4 Coal!!!

 

[thebestusernamesaretaken]

Right, and there's nothing I hate more than having to watch that vagrant Dick Proenneke build that cabin in Alaska again. What a bum.

Freaking love that show ... but oh wait, hunters need to hate Elmo and big bird!

 

[Alpine01]

Sort of. Thanks for the explanation and deeper understanding. I do have some follow up questions and appreciate your time.

1. Is the FOB price basically "the unshipped" price? I get the benefit for your mine and situation - but ultimately im not for subsidies, including the ones my own industry receives.

2. Has tonnage decreased significantly decreased over time?

Ultimately - the critical question for me - Would Wyoming households be for paying an extra 200ish dollars in taxes (50 Million / 240k households) to maintain funding (or be okay with 50M in less funding) and give coal mining a further discount on mining public land?

Im not sure they would be for that - but they are going to find out thats exactly what they got soon.

If, and I agree it is a big "if", the lower royalties lead to increased production/supply and resulting lower overall energy costs, is the financial hit on income that may or may not be born by higher taxes for same services offset by lower energy costs? As this is a potential savings nationally, I think an argument that local services costs should also be covered at the federal level rather than the state/local level.

 

[Irrelevant]

The Enchantments face dire conditions amid staffing shortage

COLCHUCK LAKE, Chelan County – Can a lone ranger patrol 900 miles of trails in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest by herself? In the federal wilderness of Washington’s Cascades, the answer this summer is a resounding no – but right now that’s the reality.

www.spokesman.com

The Enchantments are a wildly popular hiking, backpacking and climbing destination in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness of the Central Cascades. While crowds overwhelming the fragile alpine zone are a longstanding issue, this year’s severe staffing shortage is new. The lack of a ranger presence has prompted a crescendo of voices to call for an emergency restriction that limits access – before the problems cause irreparable harm.

Visiting the area last week, five weeks into the peak Enchantments season, was palpably worse than a similar visit last year. Pit toilets overflow with human waste, garbage mars backcountry trails and illegal campfires threaten a bone-dry forest. Social media-driven crowds are flocking to Colchuck Lake, many underprepared for the trek. Search-and-rescue calls, including one for an Aug. 3 fatal drowning, tax county resources. Camping permits issued via an oversubscribed lottery mostly go unchecked.

Local government and recreation groups in the Wenatchee River Valley directly attribute the deteriorating state of affairs to staffing cutbacks at the U.S. Forest Service, which manages the Enchantments.

Last year, the Forest Service employed 11 wilderness rangers to patrol the Enchantments and several thousand acres beyond in the Wenatchee River Ranger District. This year, the district is down to one as a result of Trump administration staffing cuts that followed a Biden-era hiring freeze on seasonal workers.
...

The toilets need constant attention through fall larch season and until the first major snowfall, typically in October or November. Overall, the Enchantments accumulate some 10,000 pounds of human waste annually, according to former Forest Service employees familiar with the area, that must be flown out by helicopter at the end of the hiking season. Trained professionals execute this complex operation. Personnel for the mission is in question this year given the current staffing shortage. It’s a slippery slope: Uncollected human waste eventually sloughs downstream into Icicle Creek, the water supply for Leavenworth.

Yep. Everything is okay.

 

[kwyeewyk]

Yep. Everything is okay.

I can't read the title of this thread without it sounding like this now

 

[Oak]

In a meeting with CO state BLM staff about 3 weeks ago, the state director indicated that following fork in the road retirements and other staff cuts, about one third of the permanent state BLM positions are vacant. He also indicated that they were able to hire very few non-fire seasonal staff this year. Normal years they hire 110-150 seasonal staff. This year they hired 18.

 

[Laszlo Cravensworth]

In a meeting with CO state BLM staff about 3 weeks ago, the state director indicated that following fork in the road retirements and other staff cuts, about one third of the permanent state BLM positions are vacant. He also indicated that they were able to hire very few non-fire seasonal staff this year. Normal years they hire 110-150 seasonal staff. This year they hired 18.

When my friend started with the BLM in 2022 she brought the wildlife staff up to 4 of 6. She's now the only bio left in the office.

 

[Dave N]

Here we go again.

 

[mtmuley]

Here we go again.

Some people don't get IT. mtmuley

 

[WyoCoalMiner]

You gotta know your audience

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

My customer at the Bureau of reclamation...you know a government employee told me that joke in the shop Thursday while I was visiting with him...we laughed pretty hard along with his employees. Those guys are way more fun than you guys. Try not to get a mosquito bite some of ya might bleed to death with skin that thin.

 

[BrentD]

My customer at the Bureau of reclamation...you know a government employee told me that joke in the shop Thursday while I was visiting with him...we laughed pretty hard along with his employees. Those guys are way more fun than you guys. Try not to get a mosquito bite some of ya might bleed to death with skin that thin.

Thanks for confirming the first approximation. But insults really do not become you.

 

[Potsie]

Huh, still an asshole. Go figure.





Edit to add: Lighten up, it’s just a joke.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Huh, still an asshole. Go figure.

Now thats an insult..not a joke.

Everyone see the difference.

 

[rjthehunter]

I laughed at it. In the words of a couple of PMs I know who went to work for the state... "I don't have to do shit!"

 

[INMT]

I laughed at it. In the words of a couple of PMs I know who went to work for the state... "I don't have to do shit!"

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Now thats an insult..not a joke.

Everyone see the difference.

Less BS. More dead animals. Put em up.

 

[INMT]

Now thats an insult..not a joke.

Everyone see the difference.

I laughed at it. In the words of a couple of PMs I know who went to work for the state... "I don't have to do shit!"

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