Hughart, the former president of Massey's White Buck Coal Co.

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Over 17 years it has built seven plants (five others are in construction) nationwide and has become quite nimble at navigating the permit process. (It's easier to get approvals if you're a private company than if you're a public utility.) In 2004 LS filed a proposal to build a 1, 600-megawatt, supercritical pulverized-coal plant in White Pine.

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To be certain, utilities that have long relied on coal are starting to raise the white flag, opting instead to close down some of the older plants that have long been controversial: American Electric Power and FirstEnergy Corp. in Ohio are doing just that.

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For the coal plant, Higgins has long eyed White Pine County in northeast Nevada, bordering Utah.

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On the other hand, coal is likely to be in for a tough time regardless of which party rules the White House and Congress.

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In meetings in recent days, representatives of electric power utilities that rely heavily on coal-fired plants, and some large unions, have taken their concerns to the White House.

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The White Springs, West Virginia, resort declared bankruptcy in 2009, and new owner Jim Justice, a local coal-and-agriculture baron, is trying to bring the 6, 750-acre property into the modern era of luxury--and extend its appeal beyond a graying demographic.

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