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Wyoming's coal business needs more than one way to get its energy to consumers.

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Because of ongoing repairs to Wyoming's railways, coal train traffic out of the Powder River Basin is 10 percent to 20 percent below what's desirable.

A series of derailments in mid-May is blamed for the decrease in traffic that has resulted in higher utility costs for some customers in the Midwest.

This situation should serve as a reminder of the need to expand Wyoming's electrical generation and transmission capacity.

As energy reporter Dustin Bleizeffer noted in an article in Monday's Star-Tribune, a triple track jointly owned by Union Pacific and Burlington Norther Santa Fe serves as the main export route for the basin's coal - one-third of the nation's coal supply.

For more than 100 years, railroads have been a vital partner with the coal industry, and there's no reason that should change. Coal producers in the state expect coal traffic to increase once the repairs are complete.

But in the meantime, Wyoming needs remain focused on additional ways to get its much-needed energy to consumers.

A few of the signs that the demand is growing:

* Basin Electric announces plans to upgrade its planned 250-megawatt power plant to 350 megawatts.

* Warren Buffett's MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co., which has agreed to buy PacifiCorp, plans to purchase 3 million more tons of Wyoming coal when a coal-fired plant in Iowa becomes operational.

* Several companies have announced their interest in generating diesel fuel from coal, including one that has optioned the coal to do it, and using that fuel to generate electricity. Using Wyoming's low-sulfur coal to create diesel that meets increasingly strict emissions standards looks like a great match.

* The Rocky Mountain Area Transmission Study identifies five projects that would boost transmission capacity in the region, including two projects with direct benefits to Wyoming. The largest, dubbed the "Frontier Line," would supply the West Coast with electricity generated by coal and wind energy in Wyoming, Utah and Nevada.

And while Wyoming has tremendous potential for the development of wind power, that resource will remain largely untapped until the transmission capacity exists to export that energy.

It's something of a chicken-and-egg scenario: The transmission capacity hasn't been increased because the generation isn't there to feed it. Meanwhile, the additional generation isn't being built because the existing transmission capacity is limited.

State and federal officials need to redouble their efforts to ensure that everything that can be done to foster this growth is being done, and that all the regulatory pieces are in place to accommodate it.

America needs Wyoming's coal. Whether it moves by rail or by wire, Wyoming must be ready to provide it in a reliable manner.