Carson Pollastro BMG’09 is quick to dispel misconceptions about mining engineering as a desk job: " Till the day I'm done here on this earth, I will say a mining engineering degree is not a white-collar job. It’s a blue-collar job."

He emphasizes that mining engineers must work alongside laborers to understand operations firsthand. "You have to understand what they're going through and what they're doing to be able to design a better system for them, to design a mine that doesn't put them at risk, makes mining more efficient."

This hands-on approach extends to his views on what makes a successful mining engineer: "If you think you're getting a mining engineering degree to sit in an office and look at a computer, you're mistaken. This is hands-on. Go to work, put on your boots."

Carson Pollastro didn't have to look far for career inspiration. As a fourth-generation underground coal miner from the small town of Spring Glen near Price, Utah, mining is quite literally in his blood. His father graduated from the University of Utah's mining engineering program around 1981-82 and ran multiple coal mines throughout Utah, including taking over the Cottonwood Mine after the 1984 Wilbur Mine disaster.

"Both grandfathers worked in coal mining as well,” he says. “One was a chief engineer and the other was a continuous miner operator in different mines in the area."

His great-grandfather emigrated from northern Italy in the early 1900s, drawn to Utah specifically for coal mining opportunities. When not working in the mines, he cut stone for home foundations in Helper – some of which are still standing today.

Pollastro graduated from Carbon High School in 2001 and followed family tradition by enrolling in the University of Utah's Mining Engineering program. He was part of a notably small graduating class of just three students in 2008, though the department typically maintained about 40 students total.

He speaks highly of his education, particularly crediting professors (now emeritus) like Kim McCarter, William Pariseau, Felipe Calizaya, and recently retired Mike Nielsen for their rigorous approach to education. "They were demanding in a good way," Pollastro recalls. "They wanted you to become an engineer, not just graduate with an engineering degree."

The program required passing the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, a requirement since dropped by most engineering schools. Beyond technical skills, Pollastro particularly values how the department "pushed you as an engineer to learn how to write and communicate, which I think is critical."

Career Path: From Graduate to CEO

Celebrating 600,000 man hours with no reportable injuries. 2023.

Graduating in 2008 during a mining boom, Pollastro had seven or eight job offers to consider. He chose to join Pacific Corp at the Bridger underground mine in Rock Springs, Wyoming — a decision he made strategically to accelerate his growth.

"Because it was small enough ... there was only three of us for the entire mine and entire operation. So it allowed me to get into many different aspects of the engineering side," he explains. This decision paid off quickly — within just two years of graduating, he became Chief Engineer at Bridger.

In 2011, Pollastro moved to Southern Illinois to join Murray Energy Corporation as assistant VP of Operations at the American Coal Company, which operated two longwall mines and a shipping port on the Ohio River. He continued with Murray Energy through 2017, eventually helping manage operations when Murray acquired a majority interest in Foresight Energy.

While at Murray Energy, Pollastro pursued an MBA at Washington University in St. Louis from 2014 to 2016, encouraged by his mentor, company founder Robert Murray. "Mr. Murray always retained the president title of all of his coal companies. So he was president. I was Vice President," Pollastro recalls, crediting Murray for being "very instrumental in helping my career grow."

In 22019 Pollastro returned to Utah  to oversee Murray Energy's Utah assets. After just five months, Wolverine Fuels recruited him as COO — a position he started on November 1, 2019, coincidentally the same day Murray Energy filed for bankruptcy.

Now as CEO of Wolverine Fuels, Pollastro oversees the largest coal operation in Utah, including the Fossil Rock, Skyline, Sufco, and Dugout mines in Utah, plus the idle Bowie #2 mine in Colorado that's currently undergoing reclamation.

The Future of Coal in a Green Economy

As the energy landscape evolves toward renewables, Pollastro offers a pragmatic view of coal's continuing role. "When you look at the whole landscape of energy transition... we really don't have a clear solution other than nuclear for base load power," he explains, referring to the amount of electricity — or electrical power — generated that is needed during the course of the day.

The challenge with renewables, according to Pollastro, is their intermittent nature. "Solar farms ...  you can only count on 20 percent of that rated capacity to play into the grid," he points out. "Without that base load generation, then we truly have an intermittent power system."

This limitation means conventional energy sources remain essential: "The only answer right now that we have is some geothermal, but mainly coal, natural gas, and nuclear... where you can store your fuel supply. You can produce power on demand when you need it."

Recent global events have reinforced coal's strategic importance. "After [the Ukraine-Russia] war broke out, coal prices worldwide went to all-time highs because that was the base load of power that was needed to power Europe," Pollastro notes.

He believes the energy transition will be much slower than many project: "I do believe, especially for Utah coal, where we're at, we have a low sulfur, high BTU product that is a clean burning product, to where there's opportunities for us, I think, over the next 20-30 years to remain healthy and in good operation."

Industry Challenges: Perception and Workforce

Despite the ongoing need for mining, the industry faces significant workforce challenges. "Mining in general has an issue with labor because of this environmental stigma that's out there associated with mining," Pollastro explains, noting the irony that renewable energy production also requires substantial mining operations for raw materials.

This stigma has contributed to a shortage of both mining engineers and general labor. "These kids now from grade school through high school are being raised and taught that mining is bad," he observes, contrasting with his belief that modern mining can be "done in environmentally friendly ways."

Pollastro emphasizes that mining remains essential: "The saying is true — if you don't grow it, you mine it, and everything we use is either grown or mined. There's nothing outside of that that occurs."

For mining companies today, workforce development often means "picking up an inexperienced worker that needs a job, who wants to work, and training them to become a miner." The industry also shows generational gaps where economic downturns or negative perceptions deterred entry for periods of time.

Despite these challenges, Pollastro remains optimistic about both coal's role in the energy mix and mining's future as an essential industry. His career trajectory from a small-town Utah graduate to CEO of the state's largest coal operation stands as a testament to the opportunities still available in this centuries-old but ever-evolving field.

In the meantime, Carson Pollastro, perhaps in part because of his family legacy in mining, proudly wears the figurative “blue-collar.”