AdvertiseGet Free Daily Newsletter
AdvertiseGet Free Daily Newsletter
EJJ
Energy Reporter

Emma Jane Jackson

Emma Jane Jackson joined Cowboy State Daily as an energy reporter in September 2026. She’s previously written for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Billings Gazette and the Daily Iowan. In 2022, she created a podcast called “Out of Sight: Missing and Murdered” about Selena Not Afraid, a young woman who was found deceased near a rest stop in Hardin, Montana.  She graduated from Triton College in River Grove, Illinois, in 2018.

Find Emma Jane Jackson

Latest from Emma Jane Jackson

Gary Medicine Cloud, a hunter from the Wind River Reservation, recounted his 2003 encounter with a silent, matte-black triangular object in the St. Lawrence area of the Wind River Range. Background image is a digital recreation based on recently declassified federal UAP incident reports illustrates a matte-black triangular craft observed executing low-altitude maneuvers over Western military airspace.

UFO Files Released Friday Match Wyoming Hunter’s Silent Black Triangle Encounter

Newly declassified federal UFO files released Friday detail silent black triangles matching a Wyoming hunter’s encounter. These dark craft are frequently described by witnesses as "floating fertility clinics," a professor and UFO expert says.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 23, 2026

Long rail cars haul coal out of the Powder River Basin in Wyoming.

Could Data Centers Save Wyoming Coal? Peabody Eyes 'Holy Grail' Strategy

Facing steep production drops, Peabody Energy is exploring plans to build mine-mouth power plants for energy-hungry data centers in the Powder River Basin. “It would be one of these holy grail situations in Wyoming,” one county commissioner says.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 23, 2026

Diya, a stray dog, sits at the Split Rock Rest Area near Jeffrey City, where she spent over a month outsmarting rescue traps before being walked 90 miles to safety.

How The Uncatchable Wyoming Rest Area Dog Was Secretly Walked 90 Miles Home To Safety

A Lander man was convinced traditional traps would never capture the celebrity stray dog Diya at Split Rock Rest Area near Jeffrey City, so he secretly coaxed her to walk 90 miles to his home. “She followed me and my dog every step of the way,” the hiker said.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 23, 2026

BWXT and Highway 50 Gillette 9 24 25

Campbell County Moves $500 Million Nuclear Fuel Facility Closer To Reality

Campbell County approved a one-year access agreement Wednesday letting BWXT conduct ground, water and wildlife studies at Pronghorn Industrial Park for a planned $500 million nuclear fuel manufacturing facility. The 1 million square foot plant could cover the site's entire 247 acres.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 21, 2026

American Fertilizer is pitching a massive "world-scale" nitrogen fertilizer plant outside of Cheyenne. Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins calls the prospect "an exciting opportunity." “From what they told me, it’s a multi-billion-dollar facility," he said.

Cheyenne Eyed For First World-Scale Nitrogen Fertilizer Plant In The Region

American Fertilizer is pitching a massive "world-scale" nitrogen fertilizer plant outside of Cheyenne. Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins calls the prospect "an exciting opportunity." “From what they told me, it’s a multi-billion-dollar facility," he said.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 21, 2026

Gillette nuke 10 21 26

Gillette Targeted For Massive $575 Million Uranium Processing Plant

A Canadian uranium processing company is eyeing Gillette for a massive $575 million facility with the goal of helping to transform northeastern Wyoming into a nuclear manufacturing center. “These people are playing with fire," one skeptic said.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 21, 2026

People search the Hobbs family farm in Franklin, Idaho, for 1,500 mink after the animals were released Saturday.

Activists Release 1,500 Mink From Idaho Farm, Only To Die Of Heat Or Get Run Over

Activists called the raid on an Idaho mink farm “liberation” for the 1,500 minks they released. But they can’t take care of themselves, said the farm’s owner, leaving many to die of heat, stress or get run over. “This is an unethical thing to do,” he said.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 20, 2026

A drone shot shows the overturned cattle trailer and emergency crews at First Avenue North and Main Street in Billings on Friday.

When A Trailer With 84 Cows Flipped In Billings, Wyoming Grad Calls In The Cowboys

When a trailer flipped carrying 84 head of cattle right outside a massive stock show and rodeo in Billings on Saturday, University of Wyoming grad Michaela Suter did what any rodeo person would do. She called in the cowboys to wrangle the loose herd.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 19, 2026

Deputies put down a mountain lion roaming a neighborhood northeast of Cheyenne. Nearby horse owners say the threat to foals and livestock was real, and the choice to euthanize was valid. “It would have been back,” one neighbor says.

Deputies Euthanize One Of Two Mountain Lions In Neighborhood North Of Cheyenne

Deputies put down one of two mountain lions roaming a neighborhood northeast of Cheyenne on Saturday. Nearby horse owners say the threat to foals was real, and the choice to euthanize was necessary. “It would have come back,” one resident said.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 19, 2026

TerraPower founder Bill Gates, second from left, with Gov. Mark Gordon at the TerraPower nuclear power plant site near Kemmerer on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026.

TerraPower CEO Says Kemmerer Nuclear Plant Will Attract Data Centers

TerraPower’s CEO says the company’s first-of-its-kind advanced nuclear power plant being built near Kemmerer will attract data centers. The CEO, along with billionaire founder Bill Gates, was in Wyoming on Thursday to see the project's progress.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 16, 2026

Jerimiah Jensen

Weeklong Search For Star Valley Fugitive Amps Up With Drones, Volunteers

After nearly a week of looking for a Star Valley fugitive, the Lincoln County Sheriff is escalating efforts with drones and crews of volunteers to find Jerimiah Jensen. “He’s missing for a reason. He’s eluding law enforcement,” the sheriff has said.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 16, 2026

Selah, a 5-year-old horse owned by Luke and Clare Sheehan, is pictured on Oct. 14 after dogs attacked her in Gillette.

Roving Dogs In Gillette Attack Horse, Police Say It’s ‘Being Dealt With’

Gillette veterinarian Clare Sheehan had to treat her 5-year-old horse Selah at home after roving dogs attacked it Wednesday. Selah suffered bite wounds to the face, chest and front legs. The incident is "being dealt with," police said.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 15, 2026

Other Authors

An aerial view of the Meta data center being built in south Cheyenne.

'Bone Just Dangling': OSHA Investigates Gruesome Injury At Meta’s Cheyenne Data Center

OSHA confirmed Thursday it investigated a gruesome workplace injury at Meta’s Cheyenne data center project last week. A worker said a colleague of his was run over by a lift twice. “The bone was sticking up the side of the leg; it was just dangling there."

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 15, 2026

The moment Luna’s owners and rescuers found her in a Missy trap on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, after 34 days on the loose in Yellowstone National Park.

'We Got Her!’: 10 Pounds Lighter, Dog Rescued After 34 Days In Yellowstone

After surviving 34 days in Yellowstone National Park and losing 10 pounds, a 10-year-old Jack Russell terrier was safely trapped Wednesday and reunited with her family. Searchers say they had only a few days before having to suspend the search for the winter.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 14, 2026

Facing a deadline and county vote, ConnectGen has paused its permit application for the 41,200-acre Laramie Range Wind Project near Cheyenne. Laramie County officials say the move is rare for a large energy project.

Developer Pauses Permit For Controversial 41,200-Acre Laramie Range Wind Project

Facing a deadline and county vote, ConnectGen has paused its permit application for the 41,200-acre Laramie Range Wind Project near Cheyenne. Laramie County officials say the move is rare for a large energy project.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 13, 2026

Lincoln county dude 10 13 26

Lincoln County Family Wants Help Finding Missing Man, Sheriff Says Don’t Search

Two days after Jerimiah Jensen vanished in Lincoln County, his family is rallying the community to search for him. But the sheriff is warning the public to stay back as he's wanted on four domestic-abuse charges. “It’s not a typical missing-person situation," the sheriff said.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 12, 2026

Luna, an 18-pound Jack Russell, has been loose in Yellowstone National Park since Sept. 10, and the people trying to bring her home are running out of time.

Clock Is Ticking For Tiny Terrier Missing In Yellowstone For More Than A Month

An 18-pound Jack Russell terrier escaped a cabin and has survived more than a month in Yellowstone, but the clock is ticking. Last spotted on Friday, If she isn't caught in a week, search efforts will be suspended and Luna will be on her own for the winter.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 12, 2026

Mark Lewis sitting in the parking lot across from Diya trying to coax her to him as she warms up. 

Rescuers Sleep At Jeffrey City Rest Area To Save Stray Dog They Can’t Catch

For three weeks, an elusive stray dog at a rest area near Jeffrey City has won the hearts of locals while dodging every attempt to catch her. One man plans to sleep there there this weekend in hopes of finally getting the dog to safety.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 09, 2026

A South Dakota man who filmed himself drowning a caged squirrel for several minutes, claimed it was just a "bath" and punishment for eating his apples. Subsequent outrage has led to a criminal investigation. The man wouldn't say if the squirrel was killed.

Outrage, Criminal Investigation After South Dakota Man Posts Video Drowning Squirrel

A South Dakota man who filmed himself drowning a caged squirrel for several minutes, claimed it was just a "bath" and punishment for eating his apples. Subsequent outrage has led to a criminal investigation. The man wouldn't say if the squirrel died.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 09, 2026

With no zoning regulations, Fremont County is in the dark about a potential $66 billion data center plan and has little say in how it might take shape.

‘Mind-Boggling’: With No Zoning, Fremont County In The Dark On $66B Data Center Plan

With no zoning regulations, Fremont County is in the dark about a potential $66 billion data center plan and has little say in how it might take shape. “It’s mind boggling ... we can’t have any involvement," said a commissioner.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 08, 2026

After the company that supplied Jackson with eight unrepairable electric START buses went bankrupt, federal regulators won’t make the town pay the $3 million it owes for them. “We parked them because we saw the writing on the wall,” said START's director.

Feds Won’t Make Jackson Pay $3 Million Bill For Failed Electric Bus Rollout

After the company that supplied Jackson with eight unrepairable electric START buses went bankrupt, federal regulators won’t make the town pay the $3 million it owes for them. “We parked them because we saw the writing on the wall,” said START's director.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 08, 2026

Next