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Membership Classes

Class A

Class A members can incorporate the Western Fuels team as their entire fuel and transportation division — and put their full focus towards plant operation, grid sustainability, and generation research. All members in this class are allotted two seats on our board of directors.

Requirements

Annual coal purchase agreement of 650,000 tons or greater
Coal purchase agreement shall consist of an all-requirements contracts
Sourcing recommended by WFA, directed by member

Class B

Class B members have direct access to Western Fuels as a partner for their internal fuels and transportation departments. Each class B member receives one seat on our board of directors.

Requirements

Annual coal purchase agreement of 650,000 tons or more
All-requirements contract not required
Sourcing recommended by WFA, directed by member

Class C

Class C members may choose to take advantage of coal purchasing and railcar fleet management, without the need for a minimum coal purchase agreement.

Requirements

Annual membership fee of $500
Management fee to be determined based on services provided
Class C partners may elevate membership level at any time

Become a member

Membership benefits

Mining

Western Fuels owns and operates Dry Fork Mine near Gillette, Wyoming through our affiliate Western Fuels Wyoming — a not-for-profit cooperative that provides a low-cost, dependable source of energy for customers in Wyoming and beyond. Our mine has a reserve base of more than 250 million tons and the ability to load via truck or the BNSF railroad.

Dry Fork Mine

Purchasing & negotiation

WFA negotiates fuels contracts and purchases more than 12 million tons of fuel every year. As a result, we are able to obtain pricing typically not available for smaller purchases. These savings are passed directly to our members. Other than the cost of fuel and transportation, WFA only charges a nominal management fee across the entire membership designed only to cover the cost of operations — when there’s a surplus, we return it to the membership.

Transportation & fleet management

Western Fuels owns, leases, and maintains more than 3,000 railcars, negotiates equipment financing and leases, and schedules member loadings and deliveries. We also maintain partnerships with maintenance providers so members can access preventative maintenance and repairs for their own railcar fleets.

Advocacy

We recognize that all forms of energy are necessary for a sustained and reliable power grid. As such, coal steadfastly remains a vital, affordable, and reliable resource amid increased demand and extreme weather. WFA advocates nationally and the state and federal levels to prevent political agendas and false narratives from interrupting our members’ abilities to supply their communities with affordable electricity.