- [RaeAnn] When world leaders talk about slowing down climate change, one word tends to come up a lot: coal.

Experts describe it as the dirtiest of all the fossil fuels, releasing more greenhouse gases than any other source of energy.

While this dirty truth has many people pulling away from this carbon-rich rock, others are reluctant.

- It's pretty bleak.

Pretty bleak for this area.

- [RaeAnn] To fully understand that reluctance, let's step back in time and explore the history of Utah's Coal Country, a place rich with stories of innovation and change.

- [Dennis] Mining is a viable product.

There's a lot of things that can be done with the coal.

- [RaeAnn] But it's not just about looking back.

- [Michael] What is that next energy source?

- [RaeAnn] It's also about moving forward.

- [Michael] That's where we have to look at.

- [RaeAnn] Embracing change.

- Start getting where it's clean, it's reliable, and it's sustainable.

- And the evolution of an industry that has been the backbone of this area for over a century.

I'm PBS Utah's RaeAnn Christensen.

Find out how Utah is innovating energy production.

This is "Utah's Power Pivot."

(ambient music) - I like this site because as we talk about transition, here's a operation that was huge in this community in its day.

- [RaeAnn] Here in Carbon County, Utah, deserted coke ovens stand as a powerful symbol of this area's ability to overcome obstacles.

- The coal that came from the coal mine up the canyon here would come in, and they'd open the bottom of that train car.

The coal would fall in here, and then the coal and all those impurities burned off and turned into coke.

- [RaeAnn] Coking is a process that refines coal into coke, a lighter and pure fuel highly sought after for steam engines in the late 19th century and later as a crucial ingredient in steel making.

Mayor Mike even has a personal connection to this piece of history.

- My father worked here after the war, and he had a set of ovens that he would have to empty out.

- [RaeAnn] These ovens give us a glimpse into what was once a bustling industry.

Built during World War II near the Horse Canyon Mine, there were 800 coke ovens in this area.

- We transitioned from this process to the new technology.

That's why I think that as we talk about transitioning, what better place to be is right here at the coke ovens.

- [RaeAnn] To better understand this area's deep connection to coal, let's go back even further in time to when Utah was bustling with mining and railroads.

Coal played a vital role in shaping the Utah we know today.

Nowhere is that more apparent than the town of Helper, where a museum now celebrates that history.

- Once coal was found in this area, the bosses would send recruiters, people from the industry throughout Europe.

There were 27 different nationalities that were on the Main Street at one time.

The mine wanted to portray that they were taking care of the family once they brought the immigrant family over.

And what they would do is they would stage a picture, where the first payday, they would take a picture of the immigrant and send it back to his family, let him know that he was providing for the family, and they would call it papa's first payday.

It wasn't a large amount of money that they were making.

The mine was, more or less, kind of double dipping.

(pensive music) They would pay them their own currency that they called script, knowing that they would have to spend it at their company stores.

(pensive music) - My great-granddad came from England, he came here.

He worked at Sunnyside.

My granddad worked in Kennelworth, and my dad worked up Spring Canyon.

Between the four of us, we had almost 160 years.

- [RaeAnn] Dennis, a retired coal miner, shares his family's deep roots in mining.

His ancestors were among the many who carved out a living in Utah's coal mines.

However, this history is not without its darker side.

Many mines employed young children, known as breaker boys.

- As they would be responsible for picking out bad pieces of sediment or coal that was on a conveyor belt.

Pictures like this were the main reason why child labor laws were created because a lot of people, particularly on the East Coast, were appalled that children were working in these conditions.

- [RaeAnn] The industry was not without other tragedies.

- This is the Castle Gate mine disaster that happened on March 8th, 1924.

And this is the actual Number Two Mine itself.

And basically, what the yellow markings indicate is where the bodies were located by rescue workers.

(miners yelling) And then the images that you see are after the explosion itself.

There was 172 men that passed away from this explosion.

The biggest one happened May 1st, 1900, and this was the Winter Quarters disaster.

(pensive music) And there were entire families that were wiped out.

(ambient music) - [RaeAnn] Dennis remembers the Wilberg Mine fire of 1984.

- The fire started in a compressor, they was going for a world record.

All the upper management people were in the mine at the time because they were coaching them on and cheering them on.

And then the compressor started on fire, and nobody moved quick enough, and it overtook them all.

26 men and one woman.

It was a tough time in history.

- [RaeAnn] For locals like Dennis, these stories aren't just about remembering lives lost.

They're reminder about the commitment people in the area have to each other.

What was that like being in management and knowing the dangers for your crew?

- That was my biggest fear of getting somebody hurt.

(ambient music) - [RaeAnn] Fast forward to today, and we're on the cusp of a major shift.

It's not clear what lies ahead for two coal-fired power plants in Eastern Utah.

They're scheduled to close in the coming years with no solid plan to replace the jobs that could be lost, causing uncertainty for workers and their families, something Mayor Mike understands both as a leader in Price City and as an employee in the energy industry.

- For every one employee in those power plants, there's seven outside that are supporting that industry.

So, it's gonna be a huge impact not just for the coal-fired power plants, it's the coal mining, it's the businesses, it's the restaurants, it's everybody involved.

- There's not a whole lot going on and there's not a lot coming in.

And I'm afraid that all the kids are gonna end up moving on.

I still worry about them.

I worry about my grandkids more than anything.

- [RaeAnn] And why is that?

- Because there's nothing here for them.

(suspenseful music) (pensive music) - On my crew, I have young guys.

I have from 27 years of age up to 45 years of age, so they still have a lot of time to be in the workforce.

What do they do?

They do ask me that.

"What should I do?"

And I really don't have that answer.

If they want to stay in the area, there's nothing available that can pay them the wages what they're making with the power company.

(suspenseful music) - [RaeAnn] Looking to the future, there are glimmers of hope.

Local leaders are optimistic about the economic impact of Utah State University's Eastern Campus in Carbon County.

Plus, the San Rafael Research Center is exploring exciting new possibilities in the energy sector.

And other business leaders are also finding creative ways to keep coal relevant.

- I guess you could call us a refinery of carbon ore. - [RaeAnn] Steven Fausett, CEO of Ekocoke, is innovating by turning coal waste into cleaner, valuable products, like briquettes for steel making, leading the industry towards a more sustainable future.

- We are a disassembly line.

We capture each segment, condense it, and then separate that and sell those products.

- [RaeAnn] The future path for energy production in Utah isn't crystal clear right now, but what's certain is that we are looking at a story of evolution and change again.

- We did it then, we can do it now.

And that's the, I guess, the motto that we should be saying is, "You know what?

We're smart, we can do it.

We just have to work a little harder to achieve it."

(pensive music)