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“Solar energy is accelerating in the Great Plains as the technology keeps improving, the economics are better and environmental quality benefits are valued,” writes the leader of a Chicago institute.

A proposal to turn the San Juan Generating Station into a profitable coal-fired power generation model may be technically feasible, but the economics of the project still don’t pencil out.

A study by the group Taxpayers for Common Sense concludes that a congressionally legislated 50 percent reduction in company payments to miner health benefits is a giveaway to coal-mining companies.

“The Department of Labor predicts the continued expansion of solar energy will result in excellent job opportunities, especially for those who take courses at a community college or technical school.”

“When a mining transition is not well managed, the impacts to the environment, economy and social fabric of former mining regions can be catastrophic,” argues a researcher who studies closures.

“The region has become a flashpoint in the debate over how best to use public lands, and whether communities are best served by drilling or by emphasizing recreation and preservation.”

Investors in the American coal sector aren’t likely to reap many rewards in 2020. “They’re going to cut back on shareholder returns in 2020,” one analyst said. “All of them.”

In Delta County, Colo., public education now includes solar-panel installation, part of a sector that is helping fill gaps in an economy damaged by the loss of 900 coal jobs.

The issue was effectively forced by “coal miners who invested their time and energy, year after year, coming to Washington, walking the halls, and fighting for their brothers and sisters.”

Legislative advocates for the state’s aggressive shift toward a modern energy economy, which will generate tax revenue, lease income, ratepayer benefits and new jobs, vow to press ahead in 2020.