Energy
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![A team of workers helped build a makeshift version of its approach to wind energy in Paso Robles, California, for testing out with the military for possible applications on the battlefield.](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Airloom-energy-1-7.26.24.jpeg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
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
![An aerial view of the Coal Creek mine about 30 miles southeast of Gillette.](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Coal-Creek-mine-ecoflight-1.23.24.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
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
![Wyoming oil rig 5 15 23](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Wyoming-oil-rig-5.15.23.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
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
![Coal 7 24 24](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/coal-7-24-24.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
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
![Biden and Harris 7 23 24](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Biden-and-Harris-7.23.24.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Wyomingites Frustrated By Biden On Energy Will Hate Harris, Industry Execs Say
Wyomingites frustrated by President Joe Biden’s energy policy will hate Kamala Harris, industry executives say. With Biden bowing out of the presidential election, Harris is now the frontrunner to be the Democratic nominee.
Pat MaioJuly 23, 2024
![Now with $28 million in funding, Denver-based Cowboy Clean Fuels hopes to have its Powder River Basin biofuels facility located 30 miles southwest of Gillette operational by the end of 2024.](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Cowboy-Clean-Fuels-7.23.24.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Clean Energy Startup Has $28 Million To Create Biogas From Wyoming Sugar Beets
A clean energy startup has $28 million to build a facility in the Powder River Basin to turn Wyoming sugar beets into biogas. That includes $13 million announced Monday from a former Texas oilman.
Pat MaioJuly 23, 2024
![Wyoming produces much of America's thermal coal, and also is home to several coal-fired power plants.](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/eastern-wyoming-coal-fired-plant-5.11.23.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Wyoming To Study Overhaul Of How Electricity Producers Are Taxed
Wyoming’s Budget Planning Office is hiring a legal consultant to advise a powerful group of legislators on overhauling the state’s electricity taxes. The study could lead to major changes in how taxes are collected from electricity producers.
Pat MaioJuly 19, 2024
![Energy 7 19 24](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/energy-7-19-24.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Skeptics Disagree With Study That Finds Wyoming Tops In The Nation In Energy Costs
Wyomingites pay more on their energy bills than anyone else in the U.S. and almost twice as much as the second-highest state, according to a new study. But economist and state Sen. Cale Case says the study is critically flawed.
Pat MaioJuly 19, 2024
![Concept illustration showing a campus of six BWXT micro nuclear power plants.](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/BWXT-concept-six-BANR-reactors-6.18.24.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Virginia Firm Partners With Wyoming To Study Nuclear Fuel Factory Spots
Nuclear technology innovator BWX Technologies on Thursday agreed to work with the Wyoming Energy Authority (WEA) to evaluate requirements on where to build a potential nuclear fuel factory in the state.
Pat MaioJuly 18, 2024
![Bernhardt 7 17 24](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/bernhardt-7-17-24.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Wyoming Hires Second Powerful Law Firm To Fight Washington's Coal Policies
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon has hired another major law firm to fight anti-coal policies from the Environmental Protection Agency. The firm employs former President Trump's former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt.
Pat MaioJuly 18, 2024
![Ur-Energy President and CEO John Cash](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/ur-energy-7-17-24.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Casper's Ur-Energy Sees Boost In Uranium Production
According to regulatory filings on Wednesday, Casper-based Ur-Energy is one of the first major uranium mining players in Wyoming to see evidence of stronger demand by electric utilities of its ore, which is needed to power nuclear power plants.
Pat MaioJuly 18, 2024
![Drilling rig worker Zachary Christensen stands next to the rig where he was collecting core samples from a mining operation for rare earths planned by Ramaco Resources Inc. in Ranchester, Wyoming.](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/ramaco-1-7-17-24.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Ramaco Resources Preparing To Build Plant To Transform Coal
Ramaco Resources is close to starting work on a pilot demonstration plant that will convert coal mined from a Ranchester mine into strategic rare earth minerals. They estimate they'll be pulling up to 2 million tons of coal annually out of the old Brook mine by 2026.
Pat MaioJuly 17, 2024
![Wyo-Ben Inc. CEO David Brown standing in front of a newly constructed cat litter processing plant in Billings, Montana, where some of the company’s bentonite ends up getting packaged into bags of cat litter for big retailers like Target or PetSmart.](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/bentonite-13-7-16-24.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Mining Company Sees 'Paws-Abilities' In Growing Cat Litter Business
Wyoming's sodium bentonite companies produce over 70% of the world’s supply, with privately held Wyo-Ben going up against larger rivals like Mineral Technologies and Haliburton’s Bentonite Performance.
Pat MaioJuly 16, 2024
![Exploring American Rare Earth's operation near Wheatland, Wyoming.](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/american-rare-earths-2-7-24.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Australian Firm Test Drilling On $456 Million Rare Earths Project Near Wheatland
American Rare Earths' mining project near Wheatland, which could have one of the richest rare earths deposits in the world, on Monday said it had begun test drilling.
Pat MaioJuly 15, 2024
![Shirley Basin was a Wyoming uranium boomtown that's setting up to boom again. This old photo was shared to the "People That Used To Live In Shirley Basin Wyoming" Facebook page.](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Shirle-Basin-Townsite-7.11.25.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
No End In Sight For Wyoming’s New Uranium Rush
A rush for producing Wyoming uranium continues with no end in sight. The latest in the mix is an exploration company from Canada that hopes to muscle its way into the state’s Shirley Basin to possibly attract takeover interest.
Pat MaioJuly 11, 2024
![Alan Minier, left, former chairman of the Wyoming Public Service Commission and State Board of Equalization, opposes the Rail Tie project because the previous owner, ConnectGen, and current owner Repsol Renewables North America failed to file proper financial statements proving their “financial adequacy” to build the $500 million energy development.](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Indusgrial-Siting-Council-FullSizeRender-7.10.24.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Controversial $500M Wind Farm Gets Go-Ahead After Heated Closed-Door Meeting
The controversial $500 million Rail Tie wind farm in Albany County got the go-ahead from Wyoming regulators Wednesday. Things reportedly got heated at times as the developer and activists met behind closed doors for hours.
Pat MaioJuly 10, 2024
![The Red Desert is a high altitude sagebrush steppe and dry landscape in southern Wyoming.](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Red-Desert-Adobe-Town-2-1.18.24.jpeg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
BLM May Limit Plan For 600,000 Acres Of CO2 Storage For Wyoming Ammonia Plant
A Wyoming BLM assessment could severely limit a massive 600,000-acre carbon dioxide storage plan. The CO2 storage would be needed to build an industrial-scale coal-to-ammonia plant in southwest Wyoming.
Pat MaioJuly 10, 2024
![Wind turbines stand nearly 300 feet tall in southern Wyoming in this file photo.](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Wind-Turbines-in-Wyoming-7.9.24.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Spanish Company To Develop Huge Wind Farm North Of Cheyenne
Spanish energy giant Repsol has plans to build a huge 500- to 600-megawatt wind farm northwest of Cheyenne, Cowboy State Daily confirmed Tuesday. It’s the same company that bought the controversial Rail Tie wind project outside of Laramie in the spring.
Pat MaioJuly 09, 2024
![A pair of pronghorn near Pinedale, Wyoming, with several oil and gas rigs in the background.](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Pinedale-pronghorn-Teo-Stein-USFWS-7.8.24.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
In Major Policy Shift, Wyoming Redefines Who Can Bid On State Oil And Gas Leases
Wyoming has changed its rules to discourage environmental groups from attempting to lock up state oil and gas leases. That means the Wyoming Outdoor Council can’t bid in this week's state-run oil and gas lease auction.
Pat MaioJuly 08, 2024
![Strata Energy proposes to sell a significant amount of Wyoming uranium to a Belgium company.](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Stratta-Energy-3.20.24.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Wyoming Uranium Producer Ramps Up To Meet $100M-Plus Sale To European Buyer
Strata Energy is accelerating its uranium production from Wyoming’s Powder River Basin with plans to ramp up to 2 million pounds annually. The company is expected to double its workforce to sell $88 million to $117 million worth of uranium to a European buyer.
Pat MaioJuly 08, 2024
![Oil pumpjacks and flowers scaled](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/oil-pumpjacks-and-flowers-scaled.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Oil And Gas Producers Say Outdoors Council Bids Up State Lease Sale To Inflate Costs
Casper-based Kirkwood Cos. Is crying foul after it says the Wyoming Outdoor Council duped the company into paying much more for an oil and gas lease by bidding it up during a state-run sale.
Pat MaioJuly 05, 2024
![South Cheyenne rancher Ed Prosser looks north of his farmland off of Chalk Bluff Road where 1.2 million solar panels will be visible after Canadian energy giant Enbridge builds the $1.2 billion project starting next year.](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Ed-Propsser-1-5.11.24.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Road Deal Clears Way To Build Giant 1.2 Million Panel Cheyenne Solar Farm
Enbridge will pick up $12 million of the $14.5 million needed to upgrade a road south of Cheyenne to access its giant 1.2 million panel solar farm south of Cheyenne. The deal clears the way to start construction on the $1.2 billion project.
Pat MaioJuly 05, 2024
![Oil well flare](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/oil-well-flare.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Gordon Issues Order To Keep Environmental Activists From Impacting Wyoming Lease Sale
In preparation for next week’s oil and gas lease auction, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon has signed an emergency order to help keep environmental activist groups from driving up bids and taking energy-rich leases from developers.
Pat MaioJuly 04, 2024
![Boar's Tusk in Sweetwater County, Wyoming](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/boars-tusk-7-4-24.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Kansas Company Planning Gigantic 600,000-Acre Carbon Capture Project In SW Wyoming
A Kansas-based company is moving forward to build a 600,000-acre carbon capture project in underground caverns in Lincoln, Sweetwater and Uinta counties in southwest Wyoming.
Pat MaioJuly 04, 2024
![The Rare Element Resources demonstration processing plant will repurpose an existing industrial site near Upton, Wyoming.](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Rare-Element-Resources-plant-site-11.16.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Construction Delays, Inflation Push Back Opening Of $53 Million Upton Rare Earths Plant
Rare Element Resources Ltd. has delayed the July opening of its rare earths plant in Upton, Wyoming. Construction delays and 21% inflation will push the opening back at least two months.
Pat MaioJuly 02, 2024
![AES Corp. plans to develop a 150-megawatt wind farm adjacent to its Pioneer wind farm near Glenrock.](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/AES-Wind-Farm-2.2.24.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Energy Giant Files Permit To Build $233 Million Wind Farm Near Glenrock
Virginia-based AES Corp. says it’s going to build a $233.4 million wind farm near Glenrock, Wyoming. They claim it will bring 200 jobs and produce enough electricity to power 44,000 homes.
Pat MaioJuly 02, 2024
![Oil rig 6 23 23](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Oil-rig-6.23.23.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Wyoming Oil And Gas Producers Fear Tiny Lease Sales ‘The New Normal’
Thursday’s tiny federal oil and gas lease sale in Wyoming was a throwback to pre-2000 levels, and given the political climate for fossil fuels, state producers fear this may be “the new normal.”
Pat MaioJune 28, 2024
![Yoder 2 3 29 24](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/yoder-2-3-29-24.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Huge 326,000 Panel Wyoming Solar Farm May Be Delayed Over Road Worries
A huge 326,000 solar panel project in Goshen County may encounter delays in construction because of a recent change in road and bridge permitting requirements and concerns about tearing up local roads.
Pat MaioJune 28, 2024
![Rare earths mine.](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/rare-earths-mine-6-27-24.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Wyoming Seeks To Beat China To Become Top Rare Earths Producer
The state of Wyoming is financing rare earths mining projects that could eventually become the largest in the United States. The goal is to loosen China’s grip on the market.
Pat MaioJune 27, 2024
Huge Insurance Bills Don't Stop Solar Projects In Wyoming's Hail Alley
Catastrophic hailstorms haven’t been kind to solar developers, and insurance companies have noticed. Premiums to insure the large solar projects planned for Wyoming's Hail Alley continue to rise.
Pat MaioJune 26, 2024
![Rail Tie Wind Project 4 19 23](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Rail-Tie-Wind-Project-4.19.23.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Legal Mess Ties Up $500 Million Wyoming Wind Farm Project
An influential seven-member industrial siting group in Wyoming plans an early July meeting to sort out a legal mess that could determine the future of the $500 million Rail Tie wind farm development in Albany County.
Pat MaioJune 24, 2024
![F 35 6 23 24](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/f-35-6-23-24.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Military Could Invest In Mining Critical Minerals In Wyoming
The U.S. military has a huge interest in rare earth materials, something Wyoming has an abundance of. For instance, the U.S. Air Force’s F-35 stealth fighter takes 850 pounds of rare earths to build.
Pat MaioJune 23, 2024
![Global Uranium Corp. is expanding to Wyoming to take advantage of a uranium boom. The company is seen here drilling at its Enmore Gold Project in Australia in 2022.](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Global-Uranium-Corp-drilling-file-6.19.24.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Wyoming's Uranium Mining Boom Draws Another Foreign-Owned Exploration Firm
Global Uranium Corp., an exploration company with mining operations in Canada, has become the latest foreign-owned company to expand to Wyoming to take advantage of a uranium mining boom.
Pat MaioJune 19, 2024
![Black thunder coal mine trains 10 27 22](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Black-thunder-coal-mine-trains-10.27.22.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
In 954-Page Letter, Wyoming’s Powder River Basin Blasts BLM’s War On Coal
The top elected county officials of nearly 70,000 people who live in Wyoming’s coal heartland of the Powder River Basin blasted the BLM on Tuesday for its rules to end coal in a massive 954-page letter submitted to the agency.
Pat MaioJune 18, 2024
![U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minnesota, and U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyoming, stand in the middle of Wyoming coal workers at the base of a haul truck at the rim of the Belle Ayr coal mine owned by Eagle Specialty Materials near Gillette. The lawmakers, who were joined by some staff members of the subcommittee on energy and mineral resources, met on Tuesday with miners and company representatives of Eagle Speciality Materials.](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Hageman-and-haul-truck-6.18.24.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Hageman Says She’ll Invite Trump Back To Wyoming To Visit Coal Country
U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman was back in Wyoming on Tuesday visiting the coal-rich Powder River Basin. Hageman said she will be inviting former President Trump back to Wyoming as he, unlike the current president, is a friend of coal.
Pat MaioJune 18, 2024
![Concept illustration showing a campus of six BWXT micro nuclear power plants.](https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/BWXT-concept-six-BANR-reactors-6.18.24.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&ar=3%3A2&fit=crop)
Millions More Given To Build Tiny Nuclear Reactors In Wyoming
The Wyoming Energy Authority has approved second phase of a $10 million effort by BWXT Technologies to determine the viability of building tiny nuclear power plants in the state.
Pat MaioJune 18, 2024