For far too long, Wyoming families have witnessed a full-scale war on our energy sector.
Democrats and even some Republicans, along with their stooges on Wall Street and the World Economic Forum, working day and night to destroy America’s energy economy and put whole industries out of work.
But in just nine months since President Trump's inauguration, he has aggressively fought back against this war on American energy and delivered real victories for hardworking Wyoming families.
This fight started long before President Trump burst onto the political stage. Sadly, I’ve run into a few folks who have conveniently forgotten the truth about what the Obama and Biden administrations did to Wyoming energy. I certainly have not forgotten.
Here’s what really happened: they spent years kowtowing to China and the European elites with their Paris Agreement and Clean Power Plan nonsense, and American workers here in Wyoming paid the price.
These were not just policy disagreements; they were direct attacks on our communities. They used every tool in the bureaucracy to lock up Wyoming lands, kill new projects, abuse federal regulations, and covertly fund ridiculous climate lawsuits.
Don’t even get me started about the creation and weaponization of ESG and the colossal damage it has caused!
Former Presidents Obama and Biden also never thought about the miner trying to put food on the table or the families depending on energy jobs to pay their mortgages, other than saying that maybe they “needed to learn to code."
President Trump does care about those workers and he’s proving it every day through actions.
Under President Trump's leadership, Wyoming is experiencing the start of a new energy renaissance. By eliminating burdensome and costly regulations that poisoned our industries, the Trump administration has given Wyoming producers the freedom to compete and win.
However, we're not just talking about promises and potential, we're seeing concrete results under President Trump that prove what's possible when Washington gets out of Wyoming's way.
In July, I attended the grand opening of the Ramaco Brook Mine in my hometown in Sheridan County alongside Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and many other dignitaries. This wasn't just another ribbon cutting, it was historic. This was the first new rare earth mineral mine in America in over 70 years, and the first new coal mine in Wyoming in 50 years.
The Trump administration isn't stopping there.
They're advancing coal development throughout Wyoming's Powder River Basin at record speed. The Bureau of Land Management just issued its final environmental impact statement for the West Antelope III lease, granting access to 440 million tons of coal and extending the Antelope mine's operations by nearly two decades.
These approvals, which were originally proposed in 2015 but buried under Obama-era red tape, show what happens when you have leaders who streamline the Environmental Impact Statements process instead of letting left-leaning bureaucrats slow-walk every project to death.
Recently, EPA Administrator Zeldin was here in Wyoming and signed a Trump administration directive which allows Wyoming to control our own coal byproducts. That’s a big deal for our state. But what really stood out during his visit to Cheyenne was when he said, "nobody knows Wyoming like the people of Wyoming."
And now, the momentum for Wyoming's coal industry has reached a fever pitch. On Monday, September 29, 2025, I had the privilege of attending the historic "Coal Day" announcement at the U.S. Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C.
This wasn't just another policy briefing—it was a bold declaration of President Trump's unwavering commitment to unleashing American energy dominance, with coal at the forefront.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, joined by Energy Secretary Chris Wright and other top officials, unveiled game-changing initiatives that will supercharge our industry and put Wyoming miners back to work.
At the heart of the announcement was the opening of 13.1 million acres of federal lands for coal leasing—tripling the benchmarks from the landmark One Big Beautiful Bill Act and directly targeting prime areas in the Powder River Basin, where Wyoming holds the lion's share of the nation's recoverable coal reserves.
This move alone could unlock billions in economic activity, create thousands of high-wage jobs, and extend the life of our mines for generations. No more endless delays or green-tape strangling our potential; this is Washington finally stepping aside to let Wyoming lead.
But the wins didn't stop there. In a nod to the critical role coal plays in national security, the administration is advancing the classification of metallurgical coal as a critical mineral, streamlining permitting and opening new federal incentives for steel production and mineral processing right here at home.
Standing in that room, surrounded by fellow Wyoming advocates and energy champions, I felt the electricity of real progress. This is the kind of decisive action that President Trump promised — and is now delivering—at breakneck speed. It's a direct rebuke to the failed policies of the past that shuttered mines and shipped jobs overseas, and a beacon of hope for every family in Wyoming and beyond who knows that coal isn't just fuel; it's our future.
I’m confident that by the end of the Trump administration, America will be energy dominant. Wyoming can be the tip of the spear for American energy dominance!
America’s future depends on the energy that Wyoming can and will provide. We must not forget the past and we must do everything to help President Trump succeed in this mission.
I am committed to this mission; I urge you to join us as well. Everyone loves a great comeback story, and Wyoming is writing ours right here, right now thanks to the help of President Trump and his administration.
Senator Bo Biteman
Wyoming Senate President
