Legislators look at ways to ease sting of coal bankruptcies

CASPER — A string of bankruptcies have ravaged Wyoming coal country this year, as operators erase outstanding tax, labor and reclamation debts during court proceedings, leaving counties and taxpayers facing unexpected budget shortfalls.

But state lawmakers have begun to investigate ways to mitigate the harm caused when mammoth coal companies spiral into insolvency. Meeting Monday as a select committee, the lawmakers convened with the goal of considering effective policy changes that could protect the state and counties from the outbreak of bankruptcies.

Half a dozen cash-strapped coal com...