Latest from Pat Maio

Atlas Carbon Continues To Struggle With Repayment Of $15 Million State Loan
Six months after the state of Wyoming threw a lifeline to Gillette-based Atlas Carbon on a $15 million loan, it continues to struggle with repayment. The state says making interest-only payments is keeping the company in “good standing.”
Pat MaioSeptember 13, 2024

Kemmerer Coal Mine Sold To Southern California Real Estate Company
The Kemmerer, Wyoming, coal mining operation has been quietly sold to a Southern California real estate investment company. No word yet on what the new owner, ECC Capital Corp., wants to do with it.
Pat MaioSeptember 13, 2024

No More Coal Road: Project To Move Highway To Access Kemmerer Coal Stopped
Work has stopped on a $30 million project to move 3 miles U.S. Highway 30 near Kemmerer to access more than 9 million tons of coal. The coal mine's owner blames declining demand.
Pat MaioSeptember 12, 2024

Wyoming Energy Officials Don't Buy Kamala's Claim She's Okay With Fracking
During Tuesday's presidential debate, Kamala Harris doubled down on her new promise not to ban fracking, but energy industry officials in Wyoming and the region don’t buy it.
Pat MaioSeptember 11, 2024

Botched Memorial Day Ceremony At Cheyenne National Cemetery Was “Miscommunication”
When family members showed up at the Cheyenne National Cemetery on Memorial Day for a service to honor fallen heroes and loved ones, the VA never showed up to host the service. On Wednesday, VA officials told Cowboy State Daily it was a "miscommunication" and would never happen again.
Pat MaioSeptember 11, 2024
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Ranking Says Wyomingites Have Least Credit Card Debt In United States
According to a national economic study, Wyoming citizens carry less credit card debt than anywhere else in the U.S. Economic analysts believe the state’s low tax rate and overall conservative mindset to not rely on debt are part of the reasons why.
Pat MaioSeptember 10, 2024

Huge $5 Billion Proposed Trona Mine Set For Review By Wyoming Regulators
Construction on a huge $5 billion trona mining project near Green River, Wyoming, is scheduled to begin in mid-2025. It will employ 2,100 construction workers annually before becoming operational in early 2029.
Pat MaioSeptember 10, 2024

Tri-State Gets $679 Million From Feds For Transition From Coal-Fired Plants
Tri-State Generation has received $679 million from a federal program to boost renewables to support the retirement of coal-fired power plants. Laramie River Station in Wyoming, however, is not set for closure.
Pat MaioSeptember 09, 2024

Former Top Colorado Regulator Predicts A Shakeup For Wyoming Power Co-ops
Raymond Gifford, a former chairman of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, says a shakeup is coming for Wyoming’s power cooperatives. He's also the lawyer helping electricity co-ops leave Tri-State Generation.
Pat MaioSeptember 07, 2024

Wyoming Rare Earth Miner Expands Global Reach, Buys Australian Company
Energy Fuels Inc., which is preparing to ramp up its Nichols Ranch uranium mine near Kaycee, Wyoming, is expanding. It’s close to buying a critical rare earth minerals company in Australia.
Pat MaioSeptember 06, 2024

After Hedge Fund Buys 10% Of Peabody, It Wants Company To Buy Back $1.4B In Stock
At the urging of a hedge fund in Texas that bought nearly 10% of Peabody Energy, the company is accelerating efforts to develop “existing assets.” That includes urging the company to spend $1.46 billion on buying back shares of its stock.
Pat MaioSeptember 05, 2024

Growing Energy Supplier Eyes Larger Toehold In Wyoming's Shifting Power Market
Guzman Energy, a Denver-based wholesale power provider with funding from a Walmart heir, eyes gaining a larger toehold in Wyoming and the Western U.S. Guzman also refutes claims by some critics who worry the company can’t deliver on promises.
Pat MaioSeptember 05, 2024

California Grid Operator’s Expansion Into Wyoming Includes Black Hills Energy
The California power operator that manages the flow of electricity across 26,000 miles of high-voltage power lines has added Black Hills Corp. in Wyoming to its system.
Pat MaioSeptember 04, 2024

Wyoming High Court Reverses PSC On Rules For Buying Excess Power From Customers
The Wyoming Supreme Court has reversed a Wyoming Public Service Commission decision about how customers sell their excess green power back to the grid.
Pat MaioSeptember 03, 2024

Giant Wyoming Carbon Capture Project Pulls Plug For Lack Of Clean Power
CarbonCapture had planned to build one of the world’s largest direct air CO2 capture projects in southwest Wyoming. Now it’s pulling the plug because there’s not enough clean power to run it.
Pat MaioSeptember 03, 2024

Wyoming's Electricity Industry On The Cusp Of Transmission Shakeup
The Wyoming Public Service Commission has begun studying how electricity is delivered over hundreds of miles of transmission lines. The outcome could lead to a major shakeup for Wyoming.
Pat MaioAugust 30, 2024

Kamala Harris Interview With CNN Exposes Flip-Flop On Fracking
Kamala Harris did a 180-degree flip on fracking in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on Thursday. Political watchdogs told Cowboy State Daily her new position on fracking is politics, not policy.
Pat MaioAugust 30, 2024

Electricity Co-ops In Wyoming Poised For Savings Through New Grid Operator
A newly forming regional transmission organization in Arkansas is looking to attract members throughout Colorado and Wyoming. That could save members $200 million annually by delivering power more cheaply.
Pat MaioAugust 29, 2024

16 Months After 30 Tons Of Chemical Used In Explosives Vanished, Investigation Continues
The Federal Railroad Administration said Wednesday that it’s still investigating the disappearance of 30 tons of a chemical used in explosives. It was lost from a defective railcar somewhere between Cheyenne and the Mojave Desert in California.
Pat MaioAugust 29, 2024

Hedge Fund Hot To Invest In Wyoming’s Huge Red Desert Uranium Deposits
Canada-based Premier American Uranium announced this week it may have found 8 to 12 million pounds of uranium in Wyoming’s Red Desert. The state’s huge deposits and industry boom are attracting large hedge funds to buy up Wyoming uranium.
Pat MaioAugust 28, 2024

Feds Send $5.5 Million To Wyoming's Richest City To Build EV Charging Stations
The city of Jackson, Wyoming, which is among one of the wealthiest in America, has received $5.5 million from the federal government to expand its network of electric vehicle charging stations.
Pat MaioAugust 27, 2024

Energy Fuels Wants To Use Wyoming Uranium For Cancer Treatments
Energy Fuels, on track to become a key Wyoming uranium producer, is extending its reach for the mineral. The company has expanded into using Wyoming uranium to produce medical isotopes for cancer treatments.
Pat MaioAugust 27, 2024

United Power Growing After Severing Ties With Tri-State Generation
Colorado’s United Power Inc. was the largest Tri-State Generation member until it paid $702 million to break away on its own. Now it’s growing as other Tri-State members watch.
Pat MaioAugust 26, 2024

Owners Of Montana’s Tongue River Marina 'Defeated' By Wildfire Damage
Wildfires in northern Wyoming and southern Montana have burned more than 400,000 acres. They’ve also left ranchers and small businesses like Tongue River Marina wrecked financially and worried about the future.
Pat MaioAugust 25, 2024

Wyoming Sheep Ranchers Scramble To Save Flocks From 175,000-Acre House Draw Fire
Wyoming’s rural sheep industry was nearly destroyed when the House Draw Fire exploded to 175,000 acres, killing some sheep. Ranchers scrambled to save what they could. Now they have to find winter feed for those that survived.
Pat MaioAugust 24, 2024

Wyoming Ranchers Watch As 175,000-Acre Wildfire Burns Through Fences And Hay
About 150 firefighters started in Buffalo, Wyoming, early Friday morning to battle the House Draw Fire, which has burned about 175,000 acres.
Pat MaioAugust 23, 2024

Arch May Speed Up Sale Of Legacy Wyoming Coal Mines Under $5B Merger
Arch Resources announced a $5 billion merger with Consol Energy on Wednesday. That also may mean speeding up the company’s plans to sell its Wyoming coal mines.
Pat MaioAugust 22, 2024

Huge Shakeup For Wyoming Coal: Arch To Merge, Peabody Sells 10% To Hedge Fund
In a huge shakeup for Wyoming's legacy coal industry, Arch announced a $5 billion merger Wednesday and a hedge fund has bought 10% of Peabody Energy. The companies represent more than half the coal production in the Powder River Basin.
Pat MaioAugust 21, 2024

Why Old Wind Turbine Blades Aren’t Being Buried In Landfills Anymore
Until a few years ago, it was common for old wind turbine blades to be discarded in local landfills. That’s not happening much anymore as landfills require them to be ground up “into really tiny pieces,” which is expensive.
Pat MaioAugust 21, 2024

Kemmerer Bus Driver Beats House Speaker Albert Sommers In Stunning Senate Race Upset
In a stunning defeat, Wyoming House Speaker Albert Sommers lost to Kemmerer resident Laura Taliaferro Pearson, in Senate District 14 which covers Sublette, Lincoln, Sweetwater and Uinta counties.
Pat MaioAugust 21, 2024

Mike Schmid Beats Cat Urbigkit In Highly-Watched Sublette County House Race
Mike Schmid, a La Barge oilman aligned with the Freedom Caucus, won the Republican primary against well-known rancher Cat Urbigkit in House District 20 of Sublette County.
Pat MaioAugust 21, 2024

Darin McCann Stuns Clark Stith in Upset Primary Race in Sweetwater County
Freedom Caucus contender Darin McCann, R-Rock Springs, beat State House Rep. Clark Stith in a stunning upset in the contentious Republican primary race in Sweetwater County.
Pat MaioAugust 21, 2024

Another Hedge Fund-Backed Producer Wants To Cash In On Wyoming’s Uranium Boom
Canada-based American Premium Uranium Inc., backed by a New Jersey-based hedge fund, has begun exploratory drilling on mining claims in the Red Desert. It’s part of a rush of companies looking to cash in on Wyoming’s uranium boom.
Pat MaioAugust 19, 2024

Tri-State’s Wyoming Co-ops United By Jitters Over Future Of Coal Plant
Tri-State Generation’s pivot away from fossil fuel-generated power has some of its members uneasy. In Wyoming, there’s concern over the future of the Laramie Station power plant.
Pat MaioAugust 17, 2024

Wyoming Turns Down $35 Million From Feds To Clean Up Orphan Wells
Wyoming doesn’t want the federal government’s $35 million to help plug orphan oil and gas wells. The Biden administration’s Interior Department offered $775 million to 21 energy states this week, but the Cowboy State won’t take it.
Pat MaioAugust 15, 2024

U.S. Wind, Solar Produce More Power Than Coal Through July For First Time
For the first seven months of 2024, wind and solar alone produced more electricity than coal in the United States. That's a first, and comes as no surprise in Wyoming, which saw its coal production drop 25% in the first half of the year.
Pat MaioAugust 15, 2024

Dormant For A Decade, Texas-Based Uranium Energy Corp. To Restart In Wyoming
Texas-based Uranium Energy Corp. had mothballed its uranium mining operations in Wyoming nearly a decade ago. It’s now the second major uranium producer in the state to restart mining and processing.
Pat MaioAugust 13, 2024

Wyoming To Lead 17-State Lawsuit Against EPA Over Coal Ash Rules
Wyoming is taking the lead in a 17-state lawsuit against the EPA over is rules on coal ash produced by power plants. The rules will go into effect in November unless stopped.
Pat MaioAugust 12, 2024

Wyoming Rare Earths Companies In Race To Start Producing
The Australian-based American Rare Earths Ltd. has restructured its Wyoming project to attract investment. With Wyoming becoming ground zero for U.S. rare earths, companies are in a race to be the first to start producing.
Pat MaioAugust 12, 2024
Hot Demand For Wyoming Uranium Has Hedge Funds, Other Investors Sniffing Around
Demand for Wyoming uranium has some big hedge funds and other investors sniffing around to buy in. They’re looking for opportunities to buy shares in uranium stocks that mine the ore needed as fuel for nuclear power plants.
Pat MaioAugust 09, 2024

Rural Wyoming Co-ops To Get More Green Power From Colorado-Based Parent Company
Power cooperatives in a number of rural Wyoming communities will be getting more green energy. That’s the result of a major shift in policy and focus for their parent company, Colorado-based Tri-State Generation.
Pat MaioAugust 08, 2024

Harris VP Pick "Horrible For America, Horrible For Wyoming," Wyo Mining Chief Says
As governor, Tim Walz placed his state on track to transition to "clean" energy even faster than California. Wyoming Mining Association President Travis Deti says Kamala Harris' VP pick is "horrible for America and horrible for Wyoming."
Pat MaioAugust 07, 2024

EV Registrations, Sales In Wyoming Grow Despite Big Auto Pullbacks
Electric vehicle sales and registrations are slowly growing in Wyoming, despite automakers pulling back on production. Cheyenne-based Domino’s pizza franchises have been purchasing Chevy Bolts for its delivery fleet and plan to buy more.
Pat MaioAugust 07, 2024

Ramaco Hires Heavy Hitter To Push Production Plant For Wyoming Rare Earths
Ramaco Resources is closer to being able to start mining rare earth minerals in Wyoming. The company announced Tuesday that it’s hired a global engineering firm to push efforts to build a processing plant outside of Sheridan.
Pat MaioAugust 06, 2024

Firefighters Gain Upper Hand In Wyoming Wildfires That Have Burned 53,200 Acres
Emergency firefighters report making “good progress” on containing wildfires across Wyoming that have burned 53,200 acres. That includes getting about 90% containment of the Pleasant Valley Fire north of Guernsey.
Pat MaioAugust 06, 2024

Recovery Begins At Hartville, The Historic Mining Town That Nearly Went Up In Flames
The historic mining town of Hartville, Wyoming, came within inches of going up in flames this past week. Folks are shell-shocked as they recover from a wildfire that turned much of the land around them into an apocalyptic nightmare.
Pat MaioAugust 06, 2024

New Fires Add To Wyoming’s Wildland Inferno, More Than 55,000 Acres Burned
A pair of wildfires in Campbell County blew up over the weekend to nearly 25,000 acres. That’s added to the nearly 30,000 acres burned north of Guernsey and about 1,800 acres in the rugged Shoshone National Forest in northwest Wyoming.
Pat MaioAugust 05, 2024

Evacuation Lifted For Pleasant Valley Fire, But Ranchers Worried For Cattle
More than 200 people showed up at the Guernsey-Sunrise High School late Saturday afternoon to discuss the latest on the Pleasant Valley Fire. During the briefing, Goshen and Platte County emergency officials lifted evacuation orders for the communities north of Guernsey.
Pat MaioAugust 04, 2024

Jack Reacher Author Lee Child Loves His Wyoming Home, But Hates Wind Farm Project
Lee Child, author of the hugely popular Jack Reacher novels, picked up his belongings and escaped the hectic lifestyle of New York City and moved to Tie Siding, Wyoming eight years ago. He loves Wyoming but hates the Rail Tie wind farm project.
Pat MaioAugust 03, 2024

Pleasant Valley Fire Saturday Update: 30% Contained, Plans In The Works To Lift Evacuation Orders
Update Saturday morning: Evacuation orders for a 30%-contained wildfire that threatened Hartville and surrounding communities Friday evening may be lifted later Saturday, the Wyoming State Forestry Division said.
Pat MaioAugust 03, 2024

Wildfire Burns Harriet Hageman’s Family Homestead, More Evacuations Ordered
A 25,000-acre wildfire raging through the Haystack Hills of eastern Wyoming burned Harriet Hageman’s family homestead. She fought back tears talking about the “devastating” fire. Meanwhile, more evacuations were ordered late Friday.
Pat MaioAugust 03, 2024
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Rocky Mountain Power Wants 14.7% Rate Hike For Wind and Transmission Costs
Rocky Mountain Power announced Friday it’s filed a request for a 14.7% increase in power bills in Wyoming. The rate hike would raise $123.5 million for new high-voltage transmission lines, a wind farm and power plants.
Pat MaioAugust 03, 2024

1.5 Million-Pound Trailers Haul Transformers To Huge New Wyoming Wind Substation
PacifiCorp is using giant, specialized 1.5 million-pound trailers to haul transformers to a new substation near Medicine Bow. The new station will serve Wyoming wind farms generating more than 2,000 megawatts of power.
Pat MaioAugust 02, 2024

Sales Drop 16% For Peabody Energy, Largest Coal Producer In Wyoming And The U.S.
Peabody Energy Corp., the largest coal producer in Wyoming and United States, reported Thursday that it’s second quarter sales are down more than 16%. The company also lowered its expectations for the rest of the year.
Pat MaioAugust 01, 2024

Eastern Wyoming Wildfire Nearly Burned Through Historic Fort Laramie
A 23,000-acre wildfire that prompted evacuations and road closures in eastern Wyoming also threatened the historic Fort Laramie complex. Located about 8 miles northeast of Guernsey in the Haystack Range, the Pleasant Valley Fire has not been contained.
Pat MaioAugust 01, 2024

Wyoming Firefighters Battle Flames, Heat And Rattlesnakes Near Guernsey
The Pleasant Valley Fire has consumed more than 28,000 acres in Goshen and Platte counties in eastern Wyoming. Firefighters are furiously battling flames, heat and rattlesnakes, but the fire remains 0% contained.
Pat MaioAugust 01, 2024

‘It Was Armageddon’: Eastern Wyoming Community Evacuated By Wildfire
Hartville and a neighboring subdivision in eastern Wyoming were evacuated overnight Tuesday when a fast-moving wildfire ballooned to more than 25,000 acres. “It was Armageddon,” is how a local woman described watching the flames advance.
Pat MaioJuly 31, 2024
Landfill May Be Next Stop After Lightning Blows Up Turbine Blade Near Cheyenne
A half-shredded blade hanging from a wind turbine west of Cheyenne is catching attention from the thousands of drivers who go past it along Interstate 80. It was nearly torn in half by a bolt of lightning, and its next stop could be a Wyoming landfill.
Pat MaioJuly 30, 2024

Kamala Harris Does 180 On Fracking, Says She Won’t Ban It: Trump Not Buying It
Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, told a national publication that she will not seek to ban fracking if she’s elected. That's a 180 degree flip from what she said earlier.
Pat MaioJuly 29, 2024

Wyoming Budget Could Take Big Hit With Coal Production Down 25%
Wyoming revenue collection is ahead of forecasts, but a freefalling state coal industry could change that quickly. A new state budget report warns the impact of a 25% drop in coal production for the first half of 2024.
Pat MaioJuly 29, 2024

Wyoming-Based Ur-Energy Offers $60M Stock Sale To Grow Uranium Holdings
Casper-based Ur-Energy said Friday that it’s raising $60 million in a public offering of stock to expand its uranium mining footprint, including in Wyoming. “We are preparing our war chest so that we are ready for any opportunities," the CEO told Cowboy State Daily.
Pat MaioJuly 28, 2024

Fight Over $500 Million Rail Tie Wind Farm In Southern Wyoming Far From Over
Deep-pocketed donors who live in the 4,300-acre preserve near Tie Siding, Wyoming, aren’t giving up their fight over the wind farm. They’ve kicked in money for a legal challenge of the controversial $500 million wind farm project.
Pat MaioJuly 27, 2024

Bill Gates-Backed Wyoming Wind Energy Startup Raising Nearly $13 Million
Airloom Energy Inc., a Laramie-based wind energy startup with ties to Bill Gates, is raising nearly $13 million to promote its novel design of wind energy loops that operate horizontally and low to the ground instead of the giant turbines that dot Wyoming's landscape.
Pat MaioJuly 26, 2024

Coal Giant Arch Resources To Keep Shrinking Wyoming ‘Operational Footprint’
Arch Resources, the second largest coal producer in Wyoming, reported Thursday that it plans to keep shrinking its “operational footprint” in Wyoming’s energy-rich Powder River Basin. Its end-goal is the "eventual closure" of its Wyoming mines.
Pat MaioJuly 25, 2024
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Wyoming Oil And Gas Drilling Halted On 120,000 Acres By Federal Judge
A federal judge has told the Bureau of Land Management to halt issuing oil and gas drilling permits on 120,000 acres of public land in Wyoming. The ruling is to allow for a review of environmental impacts.
Pat MaioJuly 25, 2024
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Coal Production in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin Falls 30%
The collapse in coal production continues out of the state’s energy-rich Powder River Basin in northeastern Wyoming. Second quarter data released Wednesday shows coal production has slipped nearly 30% from the second quarter of 2023
Pat MaioJuly 24, 2024