A 133-car Burlington Northern Santa Fe coal train moves slowly through a loading tower at the Buckskin Coal Mine June 13, 2006 in Campbell County's Powder River Basin, 12 miles north of Gillette, Wyoming.

A Letourneau front-end bucket loader moves 47 tons of coal with one pass into a 200 ton truck at the Buckskin Mine June 13, 2006 in Campbell County's Powder River Basin, 12 miles north of Gillette, Wyoming.

Heavy loading and hauling vehicles move new coal from a detonated seam wall at the Buckskin Coal Mine June 13, 2006 in Campbell County's Powder River Basin, 12 miles north of Gillette, Wyoming.

A timed detonation brings down a wide coal face at the Buckskin Coal Mine June 13, 2006 in Campbell County's Powder River Basin, 12 miles north of Gillette, Wyoming. The open pit mine is owned and operated by Kiewit Mining Group and produces 20 million tons annually of low sulfur-high moisture coal.

A drilling team tightens 10" metal pipe casing on a coal bed methane well for natural gas extraction June 14, 2006 in Campbell County's Powder River Basin south of Gillette, Wyoming.

A drilling team tightens 10" metal pipe casing on a coal bed methane well for natural gas extraction June 14, 2006 in Campbell County's Powder River Basin south of Gillette, Wyoming.

A KFx Inc. plant manager observes one of two pressure towers of the company's K-Fuel thermal upgrading plant June 12, 2006 in Gillette, Wyoming. The $80 million dollar project came on line in March, 2006 with its first test burn of Campbell County's Powder River Basin coal. The KFx operation puts low sulfur-high moisture coal under intense heat and pressure and extracts moisture and toxic pollutants before shipping it to public utilities. K-Fuel is described by KFx as the unleaded gasoline equivalent for the coal-fired industry.

Two KFx Inc. technicians monitor a specially designed visual schematic of the company's K-Fuel thermal upgrading plant June 12, 2006 in Gillette, Wyoming. KFx puts low sulfur-high moisture coal under intense heat and pressure and extracts moisture and toxic pollutants before shipping it to public utilities.

A worker releases steam at the KFx Inc. coal thermal plant June 12, 2006 in Gillette, Wyoming. The KFx project puts low sulfur-high moisture coal under intense heat and pressure and extracts moisture and toxic pollutants to increase the Btu content before shipping the coal by train to public utilities.

A KFx Inc. executive shows off a handful of the company's K-Fuel or clean coal, an upgraded coal produced with Powder River Basin coal June 12, 2006 in Gillette, Wyoming. The KFx project puts low sulfur-high moisture coal under intense heat and pressure and extracts moisture and toxic pollutants before shipping it by train to coal burning public utilities.

A KFx Inc. employee looks through the opening of a below ground coal crushing unit for the company's K-Fuel upgrading plant June 13, 2006 in Gillette, Wyoming. The KFx project puts low sulfur-high moisture coal under intense heat and pressure and extracts moisture and toxic pollutants before shipping it to coal burning public utilities.

A tire mechanic checks the air pressure on 12 foot diameter tires for a 200 ton truck at the Buckskin Coal Mine June 13, 2006 in the Powder River Basin, 12 miles north of Gillette, Wyoming. Due to a boom in the global mining industries, there's a world-wide shortage of giant tires costing anywhere from $21,000 to over $70,000 dollars.

A tire mechanic checks the air pressure on 12 foot diameter tires for a 200 ton truck at the Buckskin Coal Mine June 13, 2006 in the Powder River Basin, 12 miles north of Gillette, Wyoming. Due to a boom in the global mining industries, there's a world-wide shortage of giant tires costing anywhere from $21,000 to over $70,000 dollars.

A tire mechanic moves a 12 foot diameter tire for repair at the Big Horn Tire shop June 15, 2006 in Gillette, Wyoming. Due to a boom in the global mining industries, there is a world wide shortage of giant tires costing anywhere from $21,000 to over $70,000 for large tires on the market.

A tractor trailer loaded with steel pipe for a natural gas drilling operation fills up with fuel before a delivery June 16, 2006 in Gillette, Wyoming. Coal mining and coal bed methane industries have replaced oil and turned Gillette into a energy supply hub for the United States.

Evening light covers the newly built KFx Inc. coal upgrading plant which produces the company's K-Fuel June 12, 2006 in Gillette, Wyoming. The $80 million dollar project came on line in early 2006 with its first test burn in March, 2006 of Campbell County's Powder River Basin coal. The plant puts low sulfur-high moisture coal under intense heat and pressure and extracts moisture and toxic pollutants before shipping it by train to public utilities.