Energy
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$1.1 Million Wyoming Home Is So Energy Efficient It Costs Nothing To Power
A new model home near Lander lists for $1.1 million and is so energy efficient and self-sufficient it costs nothing to power, making it a model of what a modern net-zero house can be.
Renée JeanDecember 02, 2023
Kemmerer Nuclear Plant Might Be Powered By Wyoming Uranium
TerraPower and Uranium Energy Corp announced Thursday an agreement that may mean Wyoming uranium could power a planned nuclear plant in Kemmerer.
Renée JeanDecember 01, 2023
Laid-Off Wyoming Coal Miners Angry, Hurt To Lose Jobs They Love
Some of the 19 Wyoming coal miners laid off by the Black Butte mine this week say they’re angry and hurt to lose jobs they love, and that the company misled them to believe they had job security.
Leo WolfsonNovember 30, 2023
Wyoming Coal Mine Says Federal Roadblocks Forced Layoff Of 15% Of Workforce
Black Butte Coal Co. near Rock Springs, Wyoming, says continuing Biden administration roadblocks of a planned mine expansion has forced it to lay off 19 people this week, about 15% of its workforce.
Leo WolfsonNovember 30, 2023
$37 Billion Rare Earths Bonanza May Only Be The Beginning For Wyoming Coal Mine
Ramaco Resources in northern Wyoming says it’s discovered the largest unconventional rare earths deposit in the United States, a $37 billion bonanza that can make the Cowboy State ground zero for domestic production of the stuff.
Renée JeanNovember 26, 2023
Judge Blocks Effort To Stop 5,000 Converse County Oil Wells
A federal judge has blocked an effort to stop the drilling of 5,000 new oil wells in Converse County, Wyoming.
Leo WolfsonNovember 11, 2023
Nuclear Regulators Talk Plant Timelines, Safety At Packed Kemmerer Meeting
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission had a full house in Kemmerer on Tuesday to open public discussions about its safety review of the proposed TerraPower nuclear plant.
Renée JeanNovember 08, 2023
Nuclear Regulatory Commission In Kemmerer on Tuesday To Discuss New Nuclear Power Plant
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which is the federal agency charged with ensuring nuclear plants in the U.S. are safe, is coming to Kemmerer on Tuesday to explain how their particular process will unfold, as well as how the community can engage with the agency.
Renée JeanNovember 05, 2023
Judge Squashes Lawsuit To Shut Down Wyoming Drilling Permits
Gov. Mark Gordon and other groups defending Wyoming’s oil and gas industries are praising a federal judge for squashing a lawsuit brought by environmental groups to negate 900 oil and gas permits.
Leo WolfsonNovember 03, 2023
Rocky Mountain Power Gets Heat From Wyoming Legislature On Nearly 30% Rate Hike
In another day of marathon hearings on Rocky Mountain Power’s proposed rate hikes of nearly 30%, the company was questioned over heat its getting from the Wyoming Legislature.
Renée JeanOctober 31, 2023
Cody Couple’s Self-Designed Geothermal Greenhouse Is Breaking New Ground
Cody residents Karl and Lynn Lampe have designed their own geothermal greenhouse that will use the earth’s internal thermostat to allow them to grow tropical fruits year-round in Wyoming.
Leo WolfsonOctober 30, 2023
UW Student Dressed As Eagle Pleads For Birds During RMP Rate Hike Hearing
University of Wyoming student Maggie Immen showed up dressed as an eagle for Thursday’s Wyoming Public Service Commission meeting to draw attention to eagles and other birds that are killed by wind turbines.
Renée JeanOctober 27, 2023
BLM Backs Off Approval Of Albany County Wind Transmission Line
In response to a lawsuit claiming the agency didn’t give proper public notice of its plans to build a wind transmission line through Albany County, the BLM has backed off and agreed to give it a closer look.
Renée JeanOctober 26, 2023
Part Of Huge Electricity Rate Hike Is To Pay For Washington State Carbon Tax
The Wyoming Public Service Commission got an earful Wednesday that Cowboy State residents shouldn’t be on the hook to pay a state of Washington carbon tax on a gas-fired power plant.
Renée JeanOctober 26, 2023
Train Involved In Fatal Colorado Derailment Was Carrying Wyoming Coal
A broken track is the initial suspect for causing a train loaded with Wyoming coal to derail in Colorado on Sunday, causing a bridge to collapse and killing the driver of a semitrailer.
October 18, 2023
Can Wyoming Retrieve 200 Million Barrels Of Untapped Oil?
The State of Wyoming is placing a $2.5 million bet that, working with UW, it can help industry figure out how to tap into the 200 million barrels of oil reserves in the tricky Mowry Shale of the Powder River Basin.
Renée JeanOctober 18, 2023
Biden’s DOE Denies Wyoming’s Pitch For $1.25 Billion Hydrogen Hub
Wyoming officials said Friday they’re “disappointed” that a $1.25 billion Western region hydrogen hub isn’t included in a $7 billion Biden administration hydrogen network.
Greg JohnsonOctober 13, 2023
The $44 Million Bet To Make Upton, Wyoming Ground Zero For Rare Earth Elements
A demonstration plant in Upton, Wyoming, is a $44 million bet that a process developed by Rare Earth Elements will help the U.S. become a leader in processing rare earths and loosen China’s stranglehold on a vital market sector.
Renée JeanOctober 10, 2023
Wyoming Paying Less At The Pump Even As Oil Prices Surge
The Hamas attack on Israel boosted oil prices to $86 per barrel in trading Monday. But gasoline prices in Wyoming, meanwhile, are on a downward trend that some analysts are predicting will continue through November.
Renée JeanOctober 10, 2023
Solar, Wind Energy Get Hundreds Of Times More Tax Incentives Than Oil And Gas
To transition from fossil fuels to green energy, solar and wind companies get as much as 300 times more tax incentives than coal, oil, gas and nuclear. Solar alone is poised to get as much as $900 billion by 2060.
October 01, 2023
Largest EV Charging Station In World Powered By Diesel-Powered Generators
The Harris Ranch Tesla Supercharger station is an impressive beast. With 98 charging bays, the facility in Coalinga, California, is the largest charging station in the world. But to provide that kind of power takes something solar can’t provide — diesel generators.
September 30, 2023
Wyoming Trona Mine Could Be First In US To Have Its Own Micronuclear Power Plant
Tata Chemicals announced Thursday it will study using micronuclear reactors to power its trona facility in Green River, which makes it the first company in the U.S. to pursue small-scale industrial nuclear power.
Leo WolfsonSeptember 28, 2023
Rocky Mountain Power Defends 30% Rate Increase After Hageman Calls It A ‘Sham’
Rocky Mountain Power responded Wednesday to criticism Rep. Hageman had over the 30% proposed increase in electrical rates. They said saying the increases are simply to cover the company’s costs and they don't make a profit on the costs.
Leo WolfsonSeptember 28, 2023
Lego Tried To Go Green, But Found That Would Produce More Carbon Emissions
Lego wanted to find a way to produce its popular plastic bricks with a greater amount of recycled plastics. It discovered that using the material will produce more carbon dioxide, which would defeat the purpose.
September 27, 2023
Biden’s War On Oil And Gas Continues ‘Full Steam Ahead’
The Institute for Energy Research began compiling a list of all the actions the Biden administration has taken against oil, gas and coal. By November 2022, the list was over 100 items. It’s now up to 175.
September 27, 2023
Laramie Citizens Speak Out Against Massive 30% Rocky Mountain Power Electrical Rate Increase
At a public meeting on Monday evening in Laramie, one Albany County resident said, "Wyoming [needs to] send the message that we’re done carrying the water for these green initiatives-pushing and ESG-toting multibillion dollar companies."
September 26, 2023
Wyoming Conservationists Worry Fed Rule Will Let Turbines Kill More Eagles
A proposed federal rule aimed at streamlining permitting processes for wind development could undermine protections for eagles. The final rule could impact eagle populations in southeast Wyoming, where they’re especially dense.
September 24, 2023
EV Battery Factory Will Require So Much Energy It Needs A Coal Plant To Power It
A new electric vehicle battery factory in Kansas is demanding so much energy that the state is delaying the retirement of a coal plant to make sure the facility has enough power.
September 22, 2023
Billionaire Drops Another $500 Million To End Coal And Gas Power
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, with a net worth of nearly $100 billion, has pledged another $500 million to end coal and gas power in the U.S.
September 21, 2023
Rocky Mountain Power May Request Another Rate Increase Next Year
While talking with Wyoming lawmakers this week, Rocky Mountain Power said it could request another rate increase next year, in addition to the 30% it’s now seeking.
September 21, 2023
Hageman Grills BLM Official Over Biden Administration Effort To End Oil And Gas
In a hearing in Washington on Tuesday, Rep. Harriet Hageman questioned a Bureau of Land Management policy she says is allows environmental groups to stop oil and gas development by filing lawsuits, regardless of their merit.
September 21, 2023
Investment In Wind Not Reason For 30% Rate Hike, Says Rocky Mountain Power CEO
The CEO of Rocky Mountain Power told lawmakers Wednesday that the primary driver of its 30% rate increase request is the cost of coal and natural gas, not investment in wind energy.
September 20, 2023
California Sues Oil Companies, But Doesn’t Ask Them To Stop Producing
Following similar moves in Colorado and Oregon, California is suing oil companies alleging they’ve known for decades the “catastrophic” impacts their product has on climate change.
September 19, 2023
Feds Want To Allow Competition If Railroads Can’t Make Deliveries On Time
The U.S. Surface Transportation Board is considering a rule that would allow railroad customers to get competitive bids when railroads fail to deliver an average of 60% of shipments on time over a three-month period.
September 17, 2023
Media Organizations Receive Millions From Anti-Fossil Fuel Foundations
Major media outlets are receiving funding from anti-fossil fuel foundations with billions of dollars at their disposal to create lockstep reporting on climate change and energy policies to address it.
September 17, 2023
Climate Change Isn’t Cause Of Record Billion-Dollar Disasters
National media are reporting that climate change is driving record numbers of billion-dollar disasters in the U.S. this year, but the data doesn’t show that’s true.
September 14, 2023