From Washington to Wyoming, wind energy projects continue to drive fierce debate between elected officials and their constituents.
In Washington, the Trump administration has been a vocal opponent of wind turbines, while in Wyoming, a wind farm project voted down in Laramie County earlier this month continues to stir debate.
On Wednesday, Gov. Mark Gordon told Cowboy State Daily that he remains a proponent of wind energy developments in Wyoming but recognizes constituent concerns. He explained the issue is a tightrope that he and other government leaders continue to walk, trying to balance the state’s energy needs with residents’ desire to keep Wyoming the way it is.
“I think there was a bridge crossed some time ago that promoted wind and that there was a rush to try to develop it, perhaps too quickly,” he said. “For some of us you say, 'This is a landscape that’s now being changed by these windmills, we’re losing something.’”
In the background of Gordon’s comments stands a Laramie County Commission decision last week to deny the Laramie Range Wind Project, a massive wind farm proposal outside of Cheyenne.
That decision that continues to fuel heated exchanges among community stakeholders over the possible future of the project.
Repsol Rebuked
Backing the project is Spanish energy giant Repsol, which had hoped to bring as many as 170 wind turbines to the Horse Creek area. Company representatives present at the commission meeting touted their responsible approach to the project and numerous safeguards to prevent mishaps.
The 56,000- acre project was shot down by the commission, however, following a more than four-hour hearing. Only Commissioner Troy Thompson was in favor of the project following that discussion, with Commissioners Heath, Zwontizer and Hollingshead voting against it.
Commission Chairman Gunner Malm was absent from that meeting and did not cast a vote.
Community members turned out in droves to share their opinions on the project during the public comment period. While many pushed back against the project citing land use rights and environmental hazards, local landowners argued the development could help provide stability to their ranches.
Despite the project’s initial set back, debate continues to rage over its possible future in Laramie County.
Developer Disappointment
Repsol told Cowboy State Daily it was “disappointed” by the commissioners’ decision to reject its project proposal despite meeting and exceeding its numerous regulatory requirements.
“The Laramie Range Wind Project is sited in an area designated as suitable for wind energy development under the Land Use Regulations and is an extensively studied project that represents a significant contribution to Laramie County’s local economy for decades to come,” spokesperson Christi Shafer wrote via email.
Representatives of Repsol during last week’s commission meeting touted several safety additions to the project such as eagle detection technology and aircraft lighting. The company had also relocated the positions of several windmills so as not to disturb the migration patterns of mule deer and pronghorn.
Shafer said that Repsol had done more than enough to secure approval and would continue pushing for solutions that align with the interests of everyone involved.
“We remain committed to working with all of our stakeholders to understand and address their feedback and will explore our options to continue advancing the project with mutually beneficial solutions,” the spokesperson added.
True Ranches, one of the groups that spoke out in favor of the project, echoed Repsol’s disappointment in a statement to Cowboy State Daily. Jackson Stewart, in-house lawyer for True Ranches, had testified at last week’s commission meeting, saying he represented several ranchers who backed the project.
“We are disappointed the County Commissioners made this decision and continue to believe the project brings value to Laramie County,” spokesperson Bill Salvin wrote via text message.
Salvin also called on Laramie County to cooperate with Repsol to find a way to push the project forward. Approving the project, he said, would prove highly beneficial to all involved.
“We are hopeful the county and Repsol can work through the current issues, and the project can proceed,” he added.
Other landowners throughout the proposed wind farm area spoke out in favor of project, such as Charlie Farthing who owns Larmie County’s Farthing Ranch.
“We see this project as a way of diversification for the ranch,” he said during a planning commission meeting earlier this month. “We see this as a way for additional income in future years."
“We’ve got a saying in the country: ‘Don’t criticize the farmer because he’s the one that feeds you,’” he added.
Malm said in a conversation with Cowboy State Daily Wednesday he anticipates “potential future litigation” from Repsol given the fact that the company’s proposal was compliant with county regulations when it was rejected by the commission.
“I anticipate they’ll continue with the [Industrial Siting Council] process, but in regard to the county’s process, given past legal precedent I’ll probably not comment too much,” he said.
Project Pushback
Other local stakeholders, however, remain adamantly opposed to the Laramie Range Wind Project and say they will continue to push back against Repsol’s further efforts.
Anne Brande, who leads the Albany County Conservancy, told Cowboy State Daily she remains suspicious of what she views as an “aggressive” approach by Repsol to see the project through to fruition despite the community’s disapproval. She called on county officials to conduct “full transparent reviews” into Repsol’s proposal and resist the company’s urgency.
“This pressure to approve tactic is commonly used and was used last week by Repsol's attorneys at the Board of Commissioners hearing,” she wrote via email. “Repsol's legal council asked the Board to go ahead and approve the project waiting until the [Industrial Siting Council] meeting would cause harmful delay.”
Similar future energy developments, Brande argued, will continue to face similar push back from the community unless developers commit to “engage the public honestly and address long term impacts.”
Cheyenne-based realtor Wendy Volk has been a vocal leader in bringing community attention to the project. She told Cowboy State Daily she understands Repsol’s disappointment but respects the decision of the county commission.
“After hours of public testimony, the Laramie County Board of Commissioners voted 3–1 against the permit application, affirming the concerns of residents who live and work in the area most affected,” she wrote via text message. “Citizens from across northwest Laramie County raised substantive concerns: industrial traffic on rural roads, limited emergency response capacity, the permanent loss of intact wildlife habitat, and the erosion of the cultural and ranching heritage that defines this community.”
Volk added that many conversations with community members centered around a desire to balance “growth and stewardship.” This, she argued, did not appear to be central to Repsol’s development proposal.
“This project, at this scale and in this location, did not meet that balance,” she wrote. “This decision confirms that local voices matter—and that stewardship of land, wildlife, and community well-being will remain the standard for development in Laramie County.”
Community Compromise
Gordon said future wind projects need to be evaluated carefully as to what they provide in “value” to communities.
“There should be value that comes to the state,” he said of energy developments.
The governor pointed to mineral energy, such as coal, oil and gas, as examples of developments that are highly valuable to the state. Government leaders, he said, continue to wrestle with balancing constituent concerns and industrial growth.
Private property rights, he said, are a central component to the argument.
“It is that tension about private property rights,” he said. “If my neighbor has oil and gas and he can do that why can’t I do my wind?”
Communities throughout Wyoming, he said, should take care to remember wind developments can prove a critical source of revenue in places where coal and oil are less robust.
“We have places where there’s no revenue coming to that county because they’re not going to be allowed to develop wind,” the governor said. “These are things that we’re going to wrestle with.”
“I think there’s a conversation to be had with ‘which would you rather have, windmills or subdivisions?’” he added.
Jackson Walker can be reached at walker@cowboystatedaily.com.
