Photos: Craig grapples with future as coal plant closes
The Associated Press
Coal is hauled from the Trapper Mine on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, in Craig, Colo. The coal plant in Craig is closing, along with the mine that feeds it and has nearly 115 more employees, and all the workers will lose their jobs over the next decade. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Trinidad Loya, left, stands next to his son Trini Loya lll, as they pose for a photo near the Craig Station on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, in Craig, Colo. The coal plant in Craig is closing, along with the mine that feeds it and all the workers will lose their jobs over the next decade. For the Loyas, as for other coal families, the power plant afforded them a lifestyle they wouldn't have had otherwise. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Sean Hovorka, production superintendent Trapper Mining, holds coal from the Trapper Mine on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, in Craig, Colo. Hovorka, also recently elected member of the town's city council, sees a future in mining because of renewables. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Craig Station, the power plant, in Craig, Colo., sits in the background of the Trapper Mine on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, in Craig, Colo. Craig, a small town in northwest Colorado is losing its coal plant, along with the mine that feeds it and residents fear it is the beginning of the end for their community. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
A sign displays support for the coal industry Friday, Nov. 19, 2021, in Craig, Colo. The town in northwest Colorado is losing its coal plant, and residents fear it is the beginning of the end for their community. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Homes line streets in the town of Craig, Colo., Friday, Nov. 19, 2021. The town in northwest Colorado is losing its coal plant, and residents fear it is the beginning of the end for their community. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
A truck rest in a field near the Wyman Museum on Friday, Nov. 19, 2021, in Craig, Colo. The town in northwest Colorado is losing its coal plant, and residents fear it is the beginning of the end for their community. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Ray Beck, former Craig Mayor and Moffat County Commissioner, poses for a photograph Friday, Nov. 19, 2021, in Craig, Colo. Moffat County's 2020 assessed value was nearly $430 million with 62% coming from the top 10 taxpayers, all energy-related businesses. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Coal sits at Craig Station, the power plant in Craig, Colo., Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021. The town in northwest Colorado is losing its coal plant, and residents fear it is the beginning of the end for their community. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Coal sits at the Trapper Mine on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, in Craig, Colo. The town in northwest Colorado is losing its coal plant, along with the mine that feeds it and residents fear it is the beginning of the end for their community. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Tim Osborn, Craig Station Plant Manager, stands near a generator Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, in Craig, Colo. The town in northwest Colorado is losing its coal plant, and residents fear it is the beginning of the end for their community. Many of the plant workers are finding their morale has gone down as the closure date inches closer. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Ron Geary, an electrician at Craig Station, stands near the Yampa River on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, in Craig, Colo. Craig, a small town in northwest Colorado is losing its coal plant and residents fear it is the beginning of the end for their community. One of Geary's fears during this transition is the mental health of his colleagues who are losing a part of their identity and job security with retirement plan. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Workers from Craig Station, from left, Ron Geary, Gene LeFeure, Trinidad Loya and Wes Lytle of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union pose for a photograph Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021, in Craig, Colo. The union represents the bargaining unit at the Craig plant and nearly 4,200 members across Colorado and Wyoming. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
A dragline excavator moves the rock or soil layer that needs to be removed in order to access the coal at Trapper Mining on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, in Craig, Colo. The town in northwest Colorado is losing its coal plant, along with the mine that feeds it and residents fear it is the beginning of the end for their community. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Steam is emitted from some of the Craig Station's smoke stacks Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021, in Craig, Colo. The town in northwest Colorado is losing its coal plant, and residents fear it is the beginning of the end for their community. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Sean Hovorka, a production superintendent at Trapper Mining, looks on as coal is hauled from the mine Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, in Craig, Colo. Hovorka, also recently elected member of the town's city council, sees a future in mining because of renewables. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Trinidad Loya, left, holds a photo of his father while standing next to his son Trini Loya lll, near Craig Station on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, in Craig, Colo. The three generations worked at the plant. The eldest Loya, now deceased, helped build the plant's three units where his son was a combined plant operator and his grandson was an electrician. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Steam billows from the Craig Power Plant on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, in Craig, Colo. The town in northwest Colorado is losing its coal plant, and residents fear it is the beginning of the end for their community. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
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CRAIG, Colorado (AP) — Craig, a small town in northwest Colorado is losing its coal plant, and residents fear it is the beginning of the end for their community. The same scenario is playing out in other small towns across the U.S.
After decades of relying on coal for their workforce, tax base and way of life, the towns face uncertain futures as new state and national legislation forces the retirement of fossil fuels because of the worsening effects of human-caused climate change.
The impact spreads beyond the plant’s workers and is felt by the rest of the community, too.
