A Carbon commissioner told the state board no coal has been mined in Carbon County for about four years: it holds
claim holds uppeople
What was said
- Carbon County Commissioner Larry Jensen at the Trust Lands board (auto-transcript) (2026-09-17): "There's not been a single ton of coal produced in Carbon County" for about four years.09.17.2026 TLA Board of Trustees Meeting Audio Transcript (auto-generated) (Utah Trust Lands Administration (Utah Public Notice Website), 2026-09-17)
What the record shows
- Utah Geological Survey's coal production by mine, 2002-2024: Carbon County mines (Dugout Canyon, West Ridge, Horizon) show no output after 2019, 2015 and 2012; Skyline output was last assigned to Carbon in 2018 (mine-039).Table 2.8 Coal Production in Utah by Coal Mine, 2002-2024 (Utah Geological Survey, 2025)
The gap: None: the state's production figures support the commissioner's statement; they show no Carbon County output in 2020 through 2024, the latest year reported (mine-039), so if anything the period is longer than four years. (The board chair's remark that this was the 'first year in history' with none does not hold: the state's figures show none in 2020 through 2024 as well.)
In plain termsCommissioner Jensen told the state board that Carbon County has produced no coal for about four years, which is why the county wants new industry. The state geological survey's production figures agree: no coal was produced in Carbon County after 2019, through 2024, the latest year reported. Commissioner Jensen gave this loss as a reason the commission supports Valar.
Why it matters: Fairness: an official's factual claim that checks out, and the reason local officials back the project.
What would settle it: Settled by the state table.