Columbia's first power plant is officially out of the coal business.
The Columbia Missourian reports that the city's Municipal Power Plant burned its last load of coal on Sept. 22.
The century-old plant's two previously coal-fired boilers ended their run along with other aging coal-burning units across the country largely because of tighter environmental regulations on emissions.
A third boiler will continue to burn natural gas as the plant decides whether or not to start burning waste wood, a renewable fuel.
Coal still will supply most of Columbia's electricity through contracts with larger coal plants elsewhere.
Connie Kaprowicz of Columbia Water and Light says the plant's two coal-fired boilers simply were old, inefficient and costly to upgrade to meet EPA standards.