January typically marks a fresh start for us all. And this year, that feels more true than ever. With a new administration taking office and over twenty-five new legislators about to start their first General Session, there is a lot of excitement in the air.
As the Executive Director of the Wyoming Energy Authority, it is my belief that with this new beginning – and fundamentally with renewed federal support – comes a tremendous opportunity for Wyoming’s most important industry.
My job is to advocate for, facilitate and advance Wyoming’s energy economy. Our work at the WEA directly supports the growth of a secure and prosperous future for Wyoming’s energy and natural resources.
Four and half years ago, the WEA was created by merging the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority, the Wyoming Pipeline Authority, and the State Energy Office into one centralized hub for energy activities.
From the very beginning, the WEA has understood that in order to keep Wyoming a global energy powerhouse, we needed to take a common sense approach to support that included championing and defending our legacy fossil fuel industries that have built the foundation of our state but also by making strategic investments to jump-start areas of growth that align with Wyoming’s available resources and value system.
It’s not a zero-sum game, and luckily for us, Wyoming doesn’t need to choose between its energy assets; more is more, and we have the capacity to embrace them all.
From the world’s largest trona deposit and abundant coal, oil & gas reserves to the largest uranium deposit in the United States and significant rare earth elements critical to national security, Wyoming’s natural wealth is unparalleled.
Coupled with our business-friendly tax policies, skilled workforce, and robust manufacturing sector, we offer the ideal environment for innovation and development.
That is not to say that we aren’t facing any uphill battles. One of our state's greatest challenges continues to be the decline in coal demand markets.
The demand for coal has changed in the last twenty-five years. In 2001, coal was the top choice for generating electricity in 32 states.
Today, only 10 states still use coal as their number one source of generation. Various factors have contributed to this decline, from ill-advised federal policies to consumer sentiment demanding emissions controls.
The WEA is focused on supporting and keeping our fossil fuels marketable so our customers will continue to buy our products.
We in Wyoming must ask ourselves how we can harden these markets — not just for the next four years but for the next fifty.
The WEA has supported our legacy industries through $83.6m of investments in the last four and a half years.
Our strategy emphasizes phased resource development, supporting enhanced oil recovery, including Sen. Barrasso’s bill to expand the 45Q tax credits, and supporting strategic litigation.
Near-term solutions include expediting the opening of federal lands for oil and gas development to stabilize supply and fast-tracking the approval process for federal mine plan approvals for coal that has already been properly leased and bonus bids paid.
We also need to figure out how to keep our customers – most of whom want some kind of emissions control systems in place.
In addition to fossil fuels, Wyoming is well-suited to capitalize on emerging opportunities for uranium, nuclear, and rare earth elements.
Since Terrapower’s original announcement in 2021, there has been building interest, and the WEA has been working behind the scenes to ensure that Wyoming becomes the next hub for these industries.
Wyoming has seen investments pouring into the uranium space thanks to a renewed nuclear industry and bans on imports from Russia.
In 2023, the WEA invested nearly $10m in BWXT’s demonstration of a microreactor. This initial investment has led to various partnerships between the nuclear manufacturing company and entities like Tata Chemicals, L&H Industrial, and other manufacturers across the state.
This past year, we announced an agreement to evaluate a nuclear fuel fabrication facility in Wyoming.
We have also invested strategically in rare earth and critical minerals projects: $7.1m to American Rare Earths’ Halleck Creek Project and $4.4m in Rare Element Resources’s Bear Lodge Project in Upton, which began shakedown operations in December 2024 to be the state's first operational rare earth facility.
I believe that, in many ways, our greatest challenge is also our greatest opportunity.
With the global Artificial Intelligence race a matter of national security, that opportunity is coming fast.
Recent reports show unprecedented projections for electricity demand growth due to rapid expansions in data centers and manufacturing, with some forecasts calling for a staggering 456% increase in load growth in the next five years.
The energy industry in 2025 is an increasingly complex system, and our team at the Wyoming Energy Authority is equipped to face it. This isn’t about picking winners or losers, but instead picking Wyoming.
Rob Creager is the Executive Director of the Wyoming Energy Authority
