Energy Reporter

David Madison

David Madison is an award-winning journalist and documentary producer based in Bozeman, Montana. He’s also reported for Wyoming PBS. He studied journalism at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and has worked at news outlets throughout Wyoming, Utah, Idaho and Montana.

Follow David Madison

Envelope

Latest from David Madison

Cyrus Western, EPA Region 8 administrator and a former Wyoming legislator from Sheridan, says the Trump administration's "pushing back on the war on coal" will help Wyoming.

Trump Pushes Back Against Closing Colorado Power Plant That Burns Wyoming Coal

Trump is challenging Colorado’s plan to shutter coal-fired power plants, showing a rift between federal and state priorities. It also could impact the Cowboy State because they burn Wyoming coal, says EPA Region 8 Administrator Cyrus Western.

David MadisonJuly 24, 2025

Low-Flying Aerial Surveys Over Wyoming Hunt For Mother Lode Of Rare Earths

Federal scientists are launching an ambitious mapping project to hunt for what could be a mother lode of rare earth elements in Wyoming and the Black Hills. Low-flying aircraft with sensors will look hundreds of feet below the surface.

David MadisonJuly 23, 2025

Stephanie Key, clarinet, Miika Gregg, violin, David Mollenauer, cello, along with Meaghan Heinrich, the festival’s education curator.

At Teton Raptor Center, Birds Are Encouraged To Chime In During Concerts

At the Teton Raptor Center in Wilson, Wyoming, visitors on Saturday were part of a unique marriage of music and wildlife. An avian-inspired concert of chamber music encouraged birds to chime in.

David MadisonJuly 20, 2025

Rider Brian Sweat from Driggs, Idaho, braces for 30 minutes of bone-rattling thrills.

Adrenaline Rush: New Record In Longest Downhill Mountain Bike Race In The Tetons

The Colter Cup is not just the longest downhill mountain bike race in the Tetons, it’s an insane adrenaline rush that pushes the stamina of racers. An 18-year-old from Victor, Idaho, set a new record in Saturday’s race.

David MadisonJuly 20, 2025

Hoback Canyon, where the Cow and Calf of the Woods avalanche chutes spill danger onto the highway below.

Cutting-Edge Avalanche Radar Planned For Wyoming’s Notorious Hoback Canyon

Hoback Canyon in northwest Wyoming is notorious for being avalanche-prone. It’s been selected to get a new cutting-edge avalanche radar system that can detect potential slides 24/7 in any weather. That promises faster road closures and safety for drivers.

David MadisonJuly 19, 2025

The Upper Green River, one place where the Upper Colorado River Basin begins.

Wyoming Irrigators Frustrated By Getting Shut Off Earlier In Colorado River Basin

Western Wyoming irrigators are frustrated after being shut off earlier than normal to send Colorado River Basin water downstream. State officials are holding public meetings to keep tabs on Wyoming’s share of the Colorado River.

David MadisonJuly 17, 2025

Federal Court Rejects Climate Change-Based Challenge To Wyoming Drilling Permits

A federal court on Tuesday rejected environmental groups’ effort to overturn thousands of oil and gas drilling permits in Wyoming and New Mexico. The court said they couldn’t show how drilling in Wyoming would directly impact polar bears in the Arctic.

David MadisonJuly 16, 2025

Cybersecurity specialists must figure out the significance of multiple objects and clues in an escape room exercise as part of ICS Cybersecurity Lab Training.

Small Army Of Cybersecurity Warriors Trains To Digitally Defend Energy Industry

As Wyoming aspires to be an energy powerhouse, a new generation of cybersecurity defenders is training in Wyoming and at the Idaho National Lab. As AI booms, so does the need to protect that critical infrastructure from digital threats.

David MadisonJuly 16, 2025

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright was among a laundry list of state and federal officials at Ramaco's Brook Mine for a ribbon cutting for the first new rare earths mine to open in the U.S. in 70 years on Friday, July 11, 2025.

Energy Secretary Wright Says Wyoming Coal Is Still America’s Energy Future

Along with opening the first new rare earth mine in the U.S. in 70 years last week, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright says Wyoming is key to President Trump’s agenda. While on a decade-long downturn, he said Wyoming coal is America’s energy future.

David MadisonJuly 15, 2025

Opertions at the Spring Creek coal mine in Decker, Montana.

Montana Follows Wyoming In Push To End Biden-Era Coal Lease Rules

Following Wyoming’s lead, Montana’s congressional delegation is pushing to reverse Biden-era BLM rules that would end coal mining in the Powder River Basin.

David MadisonJuly 14, 2025

North Bridger Bison tries to make use of every part of the animal — bleached skulls for collectors and florists who use them in arrangements.

Bearded Bison Advocate Started His Own Buffalo Ranch North Of Yellowstone

Matt Skoglund is a bearded bison advocate who left a law career in Chicago for a Western ag lifestyle. Now his bison ranch north of Yellowstone has become a model of natural ranching that serves customers in Montana, Wyoming and as far away as Florida.

David MadisonJuly 13, 2025

307 Safe As Wyoming’s Only Area Code For At Least Another 20 Years

Unlike Colorado, which just got its sixth area code, Wyoming's cherished 307 is safe as the state’s only area code for at least another 20 years. That’s good news for Wyomingites and the more than 900 businesses with names that start with “307.”

David MadisonJuly 12, 2025

Other Authors

A Fox Business reporter listens with the press pool as Gov. Mark Gordon, from left, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright center and Ramaco CEO Randall Atkins talk about the rare earth potential at the Brook Mine near Ranchester, Wyoming, on Friday, July 11, 2025..

First U.S. Rare Earth Mine In 70 Years Opens In Wyoming

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright was in Ranchester, Wyoming, on Friday for the ribbon cutting to open the first U.S. rare earth mine in 70 years. He said the Brook Mine and Wyoming are critical to breaking China’s stranglehold on rare earth processing.

David MadisonJuly 11, 2025

Here’s an area in southeastern Montana near the Wyoming border where a wildfire burned through and ignited a coal seam.

Dozens Of New Burning Coal Seams Revealed Across Wyoming’s Northern Border

After an epic 2024 wildfire season burned vast areas across northern Wyoming and southern Montana, dozens of new burning coal seams are being revealed. In Montana, the Remington Fire burned almost 200,000 acres and left more than 100 new coal seam fires.

David MadisonJuly 10, 2025

Gordon Defends Energy Platform; Gray Says Wind, Solar A ‘Woke Clown Show’

Gov. Mark Gordon and Secretary of State Chuck Gray continued their ongoing feud Thursday on the Cowboy State Daily Show with Jake Nichols. Gordon defended his “all-of-the-above” energy platform, while Gray called wind and solar a “woke clown show.”

David MadisonJuly 10, 2025

Devils Tower is the most famous site in the Bear Lodge Mountains in northeast Wyoming. But the region also is rich in rare earth minerals, attracting mining companies to develop and produce the valuable commodities.

Wyoming’s Exploding Rare Earth Industry Attracts 21 Claims From New Player

Wyoming’s exploding rare earth industry continues to attract attention. The latest is Argyle Resources Corp., which has filed 21 mineral claims in the Bear Lodge Mining District of northeast Wyoming.

David MadisonJuly 09, 2025

Work at the Eagle Buttle mine near Gillette.

Trump Opens Floodgate For Wyoming Coal, But Will Producers Buy New Leases?

Trump’s budget bill opens a floodgate for federal coal leases in Wyoming, but will producers buy them? Experts are mixed. Some say a decade of decline can’t be solved by leasing more area for mining and others that it can spark new activity.

David MadisonJuly 08, 2025

Escaped Colorado Rodeo Bull Finally Caught After 5 Days Of Freedom

An elusive rodeo bull named Sauce Boss — or maybe Twinkle Toes — was caught Sunday after running away from a Colorado rodeo. He enjoyed five days of freedom in the rugged brush and woods of an upscale neighborhood before finally being corralled.

David MadisonJuly 07, 2025

Gene Leath, a civil engineer and backcountry outfitter from Sheridan and his wife Katie Taylor struggled through tears and a crash landing at the finish line to place second. In their heat, the couple surged out of the mud bog feature to race ahead, only to stumble at the end

Sheridan Couple Qualifies For North American Wife-Carrying Championships

Isaac and Mary Hayward of Sheridan not only won a seven-couple wife-carrying race in Ranchester on the Fourth of July, they also qualified for the North American Championships.

David MadisonJuly 07, 2025

Drinking Wyoming, Montana Edition: Knights, Kilts, And Dragon Steaks At Captain Scurvy’s

Captain Scurvy's Black Dragon Den in Billings, Montana, is a blast back to medieval times and the Renaissance. Cosplay is encouraged — 10% off if you’re in costume — while you devour turkey legs and “dragon” steaks.

David MadisonJuly 05, 2025

Camille, a mixed breed cattle dog rescued from near Hardin, Montana, turned to Xanax and the power couple of 1970s soft rock in an effort to calm her fireworks-induced anxiety.

Xanax Helps, But No ‘Magic Bullet’ For Dogs Freaked Out Over Weekend Of Fireworks

While many people love the flash and fireworks that come with the Fourth of July, a lot of dogs don’t. For some of them, Xanax helps, but a veterinarian says drugs aren’t a “magic bullet” to ease their anxiety.

David MadisonJuly 04, 2025