Energy
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Wyoming Rare Earths Could Be Processed At Retooled Plant In Utah
A uranium mill in Utah with ties to operations stretching from Wyoming to Madagascar is retooling to process rare earths. That could be good news for Wyoming mines, which are accelerating their production plans.
David MadisonApril 16, 2025
Peabody Closes ‘Substantial’ Deal For Coal From Its Flagship Wyoming Coal Mine
Peabody Energy, which operates the world’s most productive coal mine, announced Tuesday it has a “substantial” contract to supply Associated Electric Cooperative for “at least the next seven years.”
David MadisonApril 16, 2025
Wyoming Oil And Gas Producers Cheer No More Environmental Review For Federal Leases
Wyoming oil and gas producers are cheering a new directive lifting requirements for environmental reviews for federal leases. The move affects more than 3,200 leases across seven Western states, including Wyoming.
David MadisonApril 15, 2025
Tech Squeezes Millions More Barrels Of Oil From Wyoming Wells
Wyoming’s Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute is partnering with private companies to give aging oil fields a new lease on life. The technology is allowing millions more barrels of oil to be squeezed out of existing wells.
Zakary SonntagApril 13, 2025
Research Shows Solar Panels Can Also Generate Electricity At Night
New research shows there’s a process that offers the promise of around-the-clock electricity generation with solar panels. But the technology is not yet available for people to use to power their homes.
David MadisonApril 12, 2025
$30 Million Investment Bets On Glenrock Being Wyoming’s Next Uranium Hot Spot
Could an area north of Glenrock become Wyoming’s next uranium hot spot? A $30 million investment from a Canada mining venture is betting it will.
David MadisonApril 09, 2025
Chinese Export Restrictions Could Help Wyoming’s Rare Earths Industry
Wyoming’s rare earth minerals industry is cautiously optimistic about restrictions China has put on exporting the same rare earth minerals they mine in response to President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Leo WolfsonApril 07, 2025
From Ohio To Wyoming, Nearly 50 Years Of Working In And Around U.S. Coal
Paul Hughes started work in coal-burning industry as a teenager in Ohio in the late 1970s. That eventually brought him to Wyoming, which has turned into nearly 50 years working in and around the coal industry in the East and West.
Renée JeanApril 06, 2025
Report: Wyoming Leads Coal-Burning States With Lowest Power Rates In The U.S.
Wyoming and other coal-friendly energy states have low power rates, with Wyoming ranking as the lowest in the nation. That’s what the American Legislative Exchange Council says in its annual report.
David MadisonApril 03, 2025
Microbes Used To ‘Supercharge’ Gas Production From Powder River Basin Coal Seams
Recent USGS research shows naturally occurring underground microbes can “supercharge” natural gas production from Powder River Basin coal seams.
David MadisonApril 03, 2025
Trump’s Energy Order Includes Solar Money For Ranchers, Small Businesses
Wyoming ranchers, farmers and small business owners can still get federal money for their solar energy projects. It’s there if they revise them to align with President Trump’s Unleashing American Energy Executive Order.
David MadisonApril 02, 2025
Interest In Community Solar Power Projects Grows In Wyoming And Montana
As legislators in Wyoming and Montana debate solar power in their states, more homeowners are installing panels. They’re also considering community solar projects where people can subscribe to get power, like they would for Netflix or other services.
David MadisonMarch 31, 2025
BLM OKs Plan To Store CO2 Under 600,000 Acres Of Southwest Wyoming
The Bureau of Land Management has approved a plan to store carbon dioxide under 605,100 acres of land in southwest Wyoming. Over 30 years, it could store 600 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.
David MadisonMarch 27, 2025
Power Plants Burning More Wyoming Coal So Far In 2025
Despite the layoffs of 28 Kemmerer coal mine workers last week, there’s evidence of an uptick in demand for thermal coal from Wyoming. So far in 2025, power plants are burning more coal.
David MadisonMarch 27, 2025
Bar Nunn Locals Receptive To Build Micro Reactors, Not So Much Storing Spent Fuel
Bar Nunn locals were receptive to a $250 million to $500 million project to build micro nuclear reactors there at a Tuesday meeting to present the plan. They aren’t as excited about the spent nuclear fuel coming back to be stored there.
Leo WolfsonMarch 26, 2025
With Rare Earths In Trump’s Fast Lane, Wyoming Projects Get Cash Infusions
As the Trump administration continues to put domestic development of rare earth mining and processing in the fast lane, Wyoming’s big projects benefit. The push means huge infusions of cash to develop them.
David MadisonMarch 26, 2025
Trump Order Further Tees Up Wyoming To Become Leader In Rare Earth Elements
Trump’s executive order last week to boost production of rare earth elements tees up Wyoming become a focus for that. Breaking China’s stranglehold on the world’s supply “is an emergency,” says Holly Krutka, who heads UW’s School of Energy Resources.
David MadisonMarch 24, 2025
Trump Promises Comeback For U.S. Coal, To Reopen “Hundreds” Of Coal-Fired Plants
President Trump promised this week to reopen “hundreds” of coal-fired power plants and spark a comeback for the industry. Wyoming experts say that’s refreshing to hear, but it won’t happen as long as coal costs more than gas and renewables.
David MadisonMarch 20, 2025
New Report Says There’s Still 'Substantial' Oil And Gas Under Wyoming
A U.S. Geological Survey report released last week says there’s still "substantial" oil and gas underneath Wyoming. The Powder River, Wind River and Bighorn basins still have nearly 50 million barrels of oil and close to 1 billion cubic feet of gas.
David MadisonMarch 19, 2025
Consumer Advocates Warn More Rate Increases Ahead For Rocky Mountain Power Customers
Both of Wyoming’s consumer advocate groups foresee more rate increases ahead for Rocky Mountain Power customers. If commissioners approve the latest rate increase, the overall rate increase in the past two years totals 30.4%.
Renée JeanMarch 13, 2025
Uranium Energy Corp. Produces Its First Batch Of Wyoming Yellowcake Uranium
Uranium Energy Corp. has hit a milestone, producing its first batch of Wyoming yellowcake uranium. It’s a huge step for the company as it ramps up to 8.1 million pounds of production capacity in the Cowboy State.
Renée JeanMarch 08, 2025
Lawmaker Announces Plan To Build Next-Generation Coal-Fired Plant In Wyoming
A new coal-fired power plant hasn’t opened in the U.S. since 2013, but that’s about to change. A leading state legislator tells Cowboy State Daily that plans are in the works to build a next-generation coal and CO2 plant in Wyoming.
David MadisonMarch 06, 2025
Meier, Gray Believe Land Purchase In Washington Could Open Way For Coal Exports
In an effort to export Wyoming coal to the Pacific Rim, Treasurer Curt Meier and Secretary of State Chuck Gray believe purchasing land in Washington state could give Wyoming the legal standing to make it happen.
Renée JeanMarch 05, 2025
Wyoming Fights Biden Rule Some Say Tries To Price Out Oil And Gas Operators
Wyoming legislators have fought back against a Biden administration effort some say tries to price out oil and gas producers by hiking bond rates 1,400% and more. A $45 million pool of money will help those operators with their bonding.
Zakary SonntagMarch 04, 2025
Trump Says US Needs To Double Or Triple ‘Electrical Capacity,’ Wyoming Says It’s Ready
President Donald Trump held his first cabinet meeting Wednesday and suggested the country must double or triple its “electrical capacity.” Wyoming energy officials say they are ready to help make that happen.
Renée JeanFebruary 27, 2025
House Committee Kills Bill To Store Radioactive Waste In Wyoming
A House committee rejected a proposal Wednesday to build small nuclear power plants. Assurances that the legislation would not bring radioactive “green slime” to Wyoming weren’t enough to convince committee members.
David MadisonFebruary 19, 2025
Virginia Company Scouting Wyoming For Spot To Build Uranium Fuel Plant
Virginia-based BWX Technologies is not just looking to deploy small micro nuclear reactors in Wyoming. It’s scouting the state for possible sites to build a uranium fuel plant.
Renée JeanFebruary 19, 2025
Despite Chilly Climate, It’s Business As Usual For Wind, Solar Energy In Wyoming
Wind and solar energy projects in Wyoming are moving ahead with their projects, despite the recent chill from both federal and state lawmakers. Most of the projects are on private property, project managers say, which helps de-risk the projects.
Renée JeanFebruary 09, 2025
Wyoming Family Learns Solar Panels Aren’t For The Faint Of Heart
A Happy Valley family who lives near Cheyenne found out the hard way that solar panels aren’t for the faint of heart. They do work, and they do defray energy costs, but there are a lot of headaches that go along with it. It helps if you have the patience of a saint.
Renée JeanFebruary 09, 2025
USGS Using A Helicopter Hula Hoop To See What's Buried Under Southeast Wyoming
The United States Geological Survey has started flying helicopters between 100 to 200 feet above the ground with a giant electromagnetic sensor to identify water, minerals and metals buried up to 1,500 feet underground in southeast Wyoming.
Andrew RossiFebruary 07, 2025
TerraPower Nuclear Training Center In Kemmerer Will Be One-Of-A-Kind In The World
The 35,000-square-foot nuclear training center TerraPower is building in Kemmerer, Wyoming, will be the only one of its kind in the world. Plans are for it to train all the company’s nuclear techs wherever in the world their Natrium reactors are.
Renée JeanFebruary 04, 2025
If Cow Belches Are So Bad, Why Didn’t The U.S. West's 60M Bison Kill The Planet?
If cow belches and farts are so bad, why didn’t the vast herds of 60 million bison roaming the U.S. West before the 1880s kill the planet? The nonprofit Western Justice wants to know, but science suggests they’re not comparable.
Andrew RossiJanuary 29, 2025
Kemmerer Officials Hope TerraPower Deal Could Attract AI Data Center
As Bill Gates-backed TerraPower continues building a first-of-its-kind nuclear plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming, it has struck a deal with the nation’s largest independent data center provider. Local officials hope that could lead to an AI data center there.
Renée JeanJanuary 22, 2025
Wyoming's Powder River Basin Sitting On Untapped Oil And Gas Potential
The oil and gas industry has been talking up the potential of the Powder River Basin for 20 years. Even so, Wyoming’s busiest play still only has about 11 rigs running. It’s going to take more than an oil-friendly administration to increase production.
Renée JeanJanuary 14, 2025
Feds OK Wyoming Idea To Use Old Wind Turbines To Fill In Coal Mines
Wyoming’s innovative plan to allow coal mines to accept wind turbine blades as fill material has cleared the Biden administration, almost four years after the state approved it.
Renée JeanJanuary 14, 2025
Rocky Mountain Power To Cancel Planned Retirements Of Its Wyoming Coal Plants
Rocky Mountain Power announced last week that it’s cancelling the retirements of its Wyoming coal-fired power plants. But that doesn’t mean they’ll be burning coal long into the future.
Leo WolfsonJanuary 09, 2025
Industry: Court Ruling BLM Illegally Halted Oil And Gas Lease Sales Is Too Late
A judge ruled Tuesday that the BLM illegally suspended a 2022 Wyoming oil and gas lease. While pleased with the decision, the governor and industry officials said Friday it’s too little, too late to reverse the damage done by the Biden administration.
Renée JeanJanuary 03, 2025
Wyoming Project Gets Boost In Race To Be First For U.S. Rare Earths Production
What could be one of the world’s richest rare earths deposits announced Friday a partnership for a Wyoming pilot plant. It’s a boost for Wyoming to be first in the U.S. to help stand up domestic rare earths production sooner.
Renée JeanDecember 21, 2024
Cluster Of Wind Turbines Sitting Idle Outside Casper Won’t Turn Anytime Soon
A cluster of turbines sitting idle in the December winds outside Casper will remain idle into the next year. Chevron is citing “telemetry issues” with PacificCorp for why they’ve not been used for much of the past few years.
Dale KillingbeckDecember 20, 2024
Barrasso Says Targeting Gas Exports Act Of A “Bitter Administration On Its Way Out”
Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso doesn’t like a Tuesday U.S. Department of Energy report calling for fewer exports of liquified natural gas. He calls it “a biased study from a bitter administration on its way out the door.”
David MadisonDecember 19, 2024
Innovative Short Wind Turbines Are In For A Tough Test — Wyoming Winter
Airloom Energy will test its innovative wind turbines in winter — the perfect shakedown for an 80- to 100-foot-tall invention born in Wyoming. The novel Bill Gates-backed concept could make today’s 500-foot-tall wind towers obsolete.
Renée JeanDecember 18, 2024
John Bear Thinks Micro Plants Could Help Wyoming Coal, Create Power Autonomy
State Rep. John Bear is promoting the development of micro coal-fired power plants to serve Wyoming communities across the state. It’s a concept he says could help stabilize coal, attract industry and create power autonomy.
Leo WolfsonDecember 17, 2024
Wyoming Trona Mine Closer To Being Powered By 8 Tiny Nuclear Reactors
Tata Chemicals announced Friday that it has signed a new letter of intent for using up to eight nuclear microreactors to power its Green River trona operation. Tata is the first company in the U.S. to pursue small-scale industrial nuclear power.
Leo WolfsonDecember 13, 2024
Uranium Energy Corp. Finalizes $175M Buyout Of Wyoming Processing Plant
Uranium Energy Corp. has finalized a $175 million buyout of Rio Tinto’s Wyoming assets, which includes its Sweetwater County processing plant. The sale gives Uranium Energy the nation’s largest production capacity of uranium.
Renée JeanDecember 09, 2024
China’s Ban On Rare Earth Exports Good News For Huge Wyoming Projects
China issued a ban Tuesday on exporting to the U.S. critical rare earth minerals for semiconductors, infrared, fiber optics and military explosives. But representatives of Wyoming’s huge rare earths projects say the ban is good news for them.
Renée JeanDecember 04, 2024
Turkish Company Offers $285 Million To Buy Interest In Huge Wyoming Trona Mine
Sisecam, a Turkish company, is offering $285 million to buy out a minority stake in one of Wyoming’s huge new trona mines.
Renée JeanDecember 02, 2024
BLM Outlaws Coal In Powder River Basin; Gordon Says Prepare For A Fight
The BLM has made it official Tuesday — it’s ending new coal leases in the Powder River Basin, with an eye to producing no more coal after 2041. Gov. Mark Gordon says those are fighting words.
Renée JeanNovember 27, 2024
Bill Gates-Backed TerraPower Strikes Deal To Get Laser-Enriched Uranium
Bill Gates-backed TerraPower and the nuclear plant it's building in southwest Wyoming have secured another potential source of uranium. It’s struck a deal to get laser-enriched uranium.
Renée JeanNovember 24, 2024
F.E. Warren Air Force Base Exploring Geothermal Power To Boost Resiliency Against Catastrophe
Cheyenne’s F.E. Warren Air Force Base, which houses the nation’s nuclear missiles, is exploring geothermal energy to build up the military base’s resiliency. Geothermal power could ensure the base is functional, even if the overall power grid goes down.
Renée JeanNovember 23, 2024
14-Year-Old Casper Wind Farm Has Not Turned A Blade In At Least 3 Years
The 11 wind turbines on the northeast side of Casper once represented the region’s first step into renewable energy. Now, some say they are an eyesore that has idled for at least three years.
Dale KillingbeckNovember 20, 2024
Wyoming Coal Jobs Down Nearly 8% Over Last Nine Months, 25% Since 2017
Wyoming’s coal workforce is down nearly 8% over the last nine months. And since 2017, there are 25% fewer people working coal jobs.
Greg JohnsonNovember 20, 2024
Barring “A Miracle,” Wyoming Coal Will Miss 200M Tons For First Time Since 1992
Wyoming is on track to miss producing 200 million tons of coal for the first time since 1992. “Short of a miracle,” that’s what’s going to happen, says one of the nation’s leading energy economists.
Greg JohnsonNovember 17, 2024
Natrona County Planners OK 2,000-Acre Solar Farm West Of Casper
A proposal to put a 2,000-acre solar farm and battery storage facility west of Casper was OK’d by Natrona County Planners on Tuesday. The 199 MW facility with 100 MW of storage would be on private ranch land.
Dale KillingbeckNovember 14, 2024
Enhanced Oil Recovery Is Coming To Wyoming To Unlock Trapped Oil and Gas
Oil and gas wells typically leave behind 85% or so of available resources. Enhanced oil and gas recovery is key to more economical wells, and several companies are eyeing field tests in Wyoming for that.
Renée JeanNovember 12, 2024
More Details Emerge About Blockbuster Anschutz PRB Oil And Gas Deal
Occidental Petroleum has offered more details to Cowboy State Daily about the blockbuster oil and gas deal that has Anschutz acquiring Oxy/Anadarko assets in the PPB. Occidental says it’s keeping 150,000 acres it considers “core."
Renée JeanNovember 07, 2024
Trump Signals Huge Support For Oil & Gas During Victory Speech, Wyoming Industry Leaders Thrilled
It didn’t take long for former President Donald Trump to hype up America's oil and gas industry after he won the 2024 presidential election Tuesday. Wyoming industry leaders say Trump's victory is also a win for U.S. oil and gas.
Renée JeanNovember 06, 2024
Blockbuster Deal Has Anschutz Getting Oxy/Anadarko Oil And Gas Interests In PRB
The Powder River Basin’s largest private oil and gas operator is getting a lot bigger. In a blockbuster deal, Anschutz has sent notices to Powder River Basin operators that it’s acquired the working interests in Oxy/Anadarko in the PRB.
Renée JeanNovember 05, 2024
If Iceland Can Tap Volcano For Energy, Would That Work In Yellowstone?
Scientists will be drilling a 1.3-mile-deep borehole into an active volcano to tap into the potentially limitless energy from the magma underneath Iceland. The same could work in Yellowstone but will likely never happen.
Andrew RossiNovember 03, 2024
Upton’s China-Busting Rare Earths Demonstration Plant Is Officially Underway
Rare Element Resources has already started operations at its rare earths demonstration plant in Upton, Wyoming, with what’s known as a “shakedown.” The real shakedown will be perfecting a process that could help break China’s stranglehold on rare earths.
Renée JeanNovember 02, 2024
TerraPower Strikes Deal With South African Company For Steady Uranium Source
A stable source of uranium has been a big question mark for the TerraPower nuclear plant in Kemmerer. The company appears to have answered that question with a new agreement with a South African company.
Renée JeanOctober 31, 2024
$80 Million Bet Says Wyoming Can Unlock Secret To Getting More Oil From "Tight Rocks"
ThermoFisher Scientific is laying a $40 million bet, matched by $40 million from the Legislature, that Wyoming can get more oil from so-called "tight rocks." Squeezing even 1% more from those rocks is worth billions of dollars.
Renée JeanOctober 29, 2024
Construction Underway On Testing Facility At TerraPower’s Wyoming Nuclear Plant Site
Construction is happening in Kemmerer at the site of the future TerraPower nuclear plant site. But it’s not the actual plant that’s being built, it’s a test and fill facility, the first step of many before the plant finally opens in 2030.
Renée JeanOctober 22, 2024
Wyoming Rare Earths Producer Close To Completing $53 Million Processing Plant
Rare Element Resources needs one more thumbs-up from a federal agency to complete its $53 million rare earth demonstration plant in Upton. The rare earth refinery is billed as a game-changer not just for Wyoming, but America.
Renée JeanOctober 21, 2024
Hundreds Of Wyoming Coal Jobs Threatened By Federal Regulation, Legislator Says
A state legislator says the future of a coal mine that employs hundreds of Sheridan County people is threatened by proposed federal regulation. Cyrus Western is worried the feds will cut the Spring Creek mine’s available coal by half because of a proposed revision to an environmental impact statement.
Leo WolfsonOctober 20, 2024
Uranium Energy Corp. To Increase Wyoming Production Capacity To 8.1 Million Pounds
Wyoming has approved a Uranium Energy Corps. application to double capacity at its plant in the Powder River Basin. That gives the company capacity to process 12.1 million pounds of uranium, 8.1 million pounds of which are in Wyoming.
Renée JeanOctober 19, 2024
Huge Wyoming Rare Earth Project Gets $450 Million Loan From Feds
Wyoming Rare (USA) will get more than $450 million in financing for its huge Halleck Creek Project in southeast Wyoming from a federal bank. It’s a loud message that America is serious about rare earth minerals and Wyoming’s potential to supply them.
Renée JeanSeptember 27, 2024
Wyoming’s Tiny 80-Acre Oil And Gas Lease Sale A Bust Waiting To Happen
A miniscule 80 acres sold in Wednesday’s federal oil and gas lease sale in Wyoming. The throttling of oil and gas production has state industry officials worry it’s a bust waiting to happen.
Renée JeanSeptember 27, 2024
Texas-Based Uranium Energy Buys Wyoming Processing Plant For $175 Million
Texas-based Uranium Energy Corp. is making yet another acquisition in Wyoming, snapping up the state’s only conventional uranium mill for $175 million. The move sets it up to be the largest domestic producer of uranium.
Renée JeanSeptember 24, 2024
Biden’s BLM Puts Up 159 Acres For Oil And Gas Lease Sale, Record Low For Wyoming
The 159 acres available in Wednesday’s BLM oil and gas lease sale is a record low for Wyoming. Under the Biden administration, hundreds of thousands of acres have become unavailable.
Renée JeanSeptember 23, 2024
Gordon: Wyoming Can Make Carbon Capture Work If Feds Would Get Out Of The Way
Gov. Mark Gordon and a Campbell County commissioner in the heart of Wyoming coal country said Tuesday that local industry can make carbon capture work. But that won’t happen unless the federal government gets out of the way.
Leo WolfsonSeptember 18, 2024
Judge Gives Wyoming, Other States A Win Against Biden-Harris Methane Rules
A North Dakota judge has ruled for Wyoming and other states suing the BLM over its new methane rules. The Biden-Harris administration have been pushing the new rules as part of their anti-fossil fuels agenda, says Sen. John Barrasso.
Renée JeanSeptember 17, 2024
Judge Puts Massive 5,000-Well Wyoming Oil And Gas Project In Limbo
A massive oil and gas project that calls for up to 5,000 wells in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin is in limbo after a Friday ruling by a federal judge. The decision doesn’t affect existing drilling permits, but blocks future ones.
Renée JeanSeptember 16, 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Already A World Leader in Helium Production, ExxonMobil In Wyoming Plans To Expand
One of the largest producers of helium in the world comes from the ExxonMobil plant in LaBarge. Now the facility, which provides 20% of the world’s supply, is set to expand and could double its workforce in the next year.
Pat MaioJune 17, 2024
Wyoming's Loneliest EV Chargers Sits In The Middle Of Nowhere
Many may ask why the heck someone would put a solar-powered EV charger in the middle of nowhere in central Wyoming. Turns out it's left from Rivian's testing of EV trucks in the rugged and brutal Cowboy State terrain and weather.
Andrew RossiJune 15, 2024
Billionaire Bill Gates Lands In Kemmerer For Nuclear Plant, Then Plays Poker
Billionaire Bill Gates flew into Kemmerer on Monday for the groundbreaking ceremony of the $4 billion Natrium nuclear reactor project. After the ceremony Gates played Texas hold 'em with some locals.
Pat MaioJune 10, 2024
Hageman: Boulder Should Remove Gas Stations & Pavement Because Fossil Fuels Are Evil
Attending the Wyoming Mining Association convention, Rep. Harriet Hageman said if fossil fuels are so evil then liberal "la-la land" cities like Boulder should just give them up proactively. Gas stations and pavement should be removed, she suggested.
Pat MaioJune 07, 2024
‘We Need To Fight Back:’ Wyoming Takes First Step In New Action Against EPA Over Coal Rule
The State of Wyoming unveiled the beginnings of a plan Friday to pursue a new legal action against the Environmental Protection Agency, which wants to kill off coal- and natural-gas fired power plants.
Pat MaioJune 07, 2024
Wyoming Miners Say U.S. Not Getting Truth About Coal, So They’ll Have To Do It
One of the underlying themes of this week’s Wyoming Mining Association convention in Cody is that the American public is being fed misinformation about coal,so it's up to them to do something about it.
Pat MaioJune 07, 2024
Coal Companies Say Claim They’re Not There For Wyoming Miners A Cheap Shot
Coal industry leaders meeting in Cody for the Wyoming Mining Association's annual convention Thursday say cheap shots from Campbell County commissioners who don't feel they're engaged with folks in the Powder River Basin are unfair.
Pat MaioJune 06, 2024
Wyoming Uranium Mining Outfit Expands To Australia For Rare Earths In $140M Deal
Energy Fuels, which is preparing to ramp up its Nichols Ranch uranium mine near Kaycee for production by 2025, has agreed to a $140 million deal to jointly develop a rare earths mining project in Australia.
Pat MaioJune 05, 2024
Biden’s BLM Rule To End Coal Casts Ominous Cloud Over Wyoming’s Coal Country
Coal miners from Wyoming’s Powder River Basin are worried and determined to fight a Biden administration rule to end coal mining there by 2041. They spent part of Tuesday responding, while also bracing to cut spending as coal revenues dwindle.
Pat MaioJune 05, 2024
$1.2 Billion South Cheyenne Solar Project Delayed By Road Upgrade
Enbridge Inc.’s proposed $1.2 billion solar farm development in South Cheyenne has run into a dispute with Laramie County officials over who is pay for a county-owned road needed for huge Microsoft and Meta data centers.
Pat MaioJune 04, 2024
Wyoming Coal Bust Means Budget Cuts Coming For State, Campbell County
Campbell County, located in the heart of the coal-rich Powder River Basin, plans to trim spending by more than $25 million in anticipation of a prolonged coal bust. The State of Wyoming could be short at least $50 million.
Pat MaioJune 03, 2024
Wyoming Solar Farms Want Cows, Pigs And Sheep Roaming Under Panels
Solar farm developers in Wyoming are banking on a menagerie of barnyard animals to graze under hundreds of thousands of panels planned for construction from one end of the state to the other.
Pat MaioJune 01, 2024
How Wyoming Missed The Boat On An Interstate Coal Pipeline Nearly 50 Years Ago
Until the last decade or so, Wyoming’s coal industry did nothing but boom. But the yearslong bust that’s followed has people playing the “what if” game, like what if the state had built a proposed coal pipeline nearly 50 years ago?
Pat MaioMay 31, 2024
Wyoming Files Third Lawsuit Over EPA's Rules Designed To Kill Off Coal Industry
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon announced Thursday that the state has filed a third lawsuit challenging new rules from the Environmental Protection Agency which will destroy the coal industry.
Pat MaioMay 30, 2024
BLM To Hold Wyoming’s Smallest Oil And Gas Lease Auction In 15 Years
The Wyoming office the federal BLM is scheduled to hold an auction for oil and gas leases in June that will be one of the smallest in the Cowboy State in years.
Pat MaioMay 29, 2024
Wyoming To Expand Critical Minerals Permitting To Include Uranium, Rare Earths
With Wyoming positioning to become ground zero for a new U.S. nuclear power revolution, the state is finalizing rules to expand its energy regulatory authority to include uranium and rare earths mining, aka “nuclear source material."
Pat MaioMay 28, 2024
Conservative Advocacy Group Lowers Gas To $2.38 A Gallon At Cheyenne Gas Station
On a nationwide bus tour, conservative activist group Americans for Prosperity gave a $1 discount to motorists filling up at a Cheyenne gas station Sunday, rolling back the price to $2.38 a gallon, what it was at the beginning of the Biden administration.
Pat MaioMay 26, 2024
Life Will Never Be The Same For Pair Caught In Flash Fire At Wyoming Power Plant
Barely four weeks on the job, electrician Matthew Balcazar and a co-worker were severely burned when a coal-dust combustion erupted in a storage silo at the Dave Johnston power plant near Glenrock, Wyoming.
Pat MaioMay 24, 2024
Visionary Metals May Have A $1 Billion Nickel Claim In Central Wyoming
Lander-based Visionary Metals, whose chief executive has family ties to the famed uranium heartland community of Jeffrey City, is staking a potential $1 billion claim on America’s next big strategic mineral — nickel.
Pat MaioMay 23, 2024
Huge 1.2 Million-Panel Wyoming Solar Farm Gets Green Light To Build
The largest solar power project in Wyoming — a $1.2 billion, 1.2-million panel farm -- on Tuesday was given the green light to start building. It will supply electricity to the incoming data centers which will be built in south Cheyenne.
Pat MaioMay 22, 2024
Crypto, Data Centers, Push for EVs Will Explode The Need For Electricity, Barrasso Says
U.S. Sen. John Barrasso told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday that the amount of energy the country will need in five years is going to increase so much, it's like "adding a whole new California."
Pat MaioMay 21, 2024
Firm That Wants To Build Carbon-Sucking Silos In Wyoming Signs Deal With Saudis
Spiritus, a venture capital firm that wants to build a direct air carbon capture project in Wyoming, signed a deal with Saudi-backed Aramco Ventures to develop its technology on a pilot project in the Middle Eastern country.
Pat MaioMay 20, 2024
Can Wyoming Break With Federal Government And Become Energy Independent?
Wyoming legislators are examining an approach to energy independence and ownership of coal- and natural-gas power plants that would directly pit them against the Biden administration’s policy of ending coal production by 2041.
Pat MaioMay 20, 2024
Wyoming Oil And Gas Group Challenges Suffocating EPA, BLM Rules
The Petroleum Association of Wyoming joined with other trade groups this week to file a pair of lawsuits challenging Biden administration rules that could suffocate gas, oil and methane production.
Pat MaioMay 16, 2024
Biden Administration's BLM Issues Rule To Kill Wyoming Coal By 2041
The BLM issued a rule on Thursday that would end coal production in Wyoming's energy-rich Powder River Basin by 2041. Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon said his attorney general will pursue legal options to challenge the rule.
Pat MaioMay 16, 2024
RMP: $116M Electricity Rate Hike For Wyoming Due To Inflation, Coal Disruptions
The president of Rocky Mountain Power says their proposed $116.3 million electricity rate hike for Wyoming residents is due to Inflation and coal market disruptions. This hike would be in addition to an 8.3% increase that went into effect Jan 1
Pat MaioMay 15, 2024
Wyoming's Rare Earths Industry May See Boost from Chinese Tariffs On Imports
Wyoming’s burgeoning rare earths industry may have received a big boost by the federal government with the announcement of $18 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods. The tariffs will affect minerals that Wyoming has a super abundance of.
Pat MaioMay 14, 2024
Combined HF Sinclair Reports 7% Revenue Drop In First Quarter Since Merger
Dallas-based HF Sinclair Corp., formed when HollyFrontier bought Sinclair, reports a 7% drop in revenue in the new company’s first quarterly report. It also predicts an upturn for its namesake Sinclair refinery.
Pat MaioMay 13, 2024
Australia Company Targets 85 Million Pounds Of Uranium In Northeast Wyoming
Australia-based Peninsula Energy has boosted estimates for uranium in northeast Wyoming to nearly 85 million pounds at its three area mines, along with processing yellowcake.
Pat MaioMay 13, 2024
Massive $1.2 Billion Panel Solar Farm Planned For South Cheyenne
The pastoral landscape south of Cheyenne is getting carved up to make way for a $1.2 billion Canadian company's solar farm project that will supply electricity to data centers on the south edge of the city. Not everyone's happy about it.
Pat MaioMay 11, 2024
Wyoming Sues Biden’s EPA Over Coal And Gas Power Plant Rules
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon filed a pair of lawsuits Wednesday and Thursday challenging federal environmental rules that could economically cripple the Cowboy State’s coal and natural gas-fired power plants.
Pat MaioMay 09, 2024
Bill Gates To Be In Kemmerer For Groundbreaking Of TerraPower's Nuclear Plant
Billionaire Bill Gates plans to visit Kemmerer next month for the groundbreaking ceremony of TerraPower's nuclear reactor project, the company’s president said Wednesday. Gates has spent more than $1 billion of his own money on the project so far.
Pat MaioMay 08, 2024
Colorado Company To Ramp Up Production Of Uranium Near Kaycee, Wyoming
Colorado-based Energy Fuels says it’s preparing to ramp up its uranium mine near Kaycee and develop rare earths production that will “be globally competitive.” They're aiming for production of 2 million pounds of uranium next year.
Pat MaioMay 07, 2024
Wyoming’s Powder River Basin Closes In On 9 Billion Tons Of Coal Dug Up
Sometime this summer, Wyoming is expected to reach a major milestone of 9 billion tons of coal dug up out of the Powder River Basin over the last 25 years. Experts predict the 9 billion ton milestone will be reached in July.
Pat MaioMay 06, 2024
Australian Billionaire’s Rare Earths Buying Spree Will Likely Target Wyoming
Wyoming’s rare earths mines have caught the attention of Australian billionaire Gina Rinehart, who has gone on a global buying spree to acquire ownership in significant mines. Analysts say Wyoming is a prime target because of its world-class deposits.
Pat MaioMay 04, 2024
Wyoming Budget Could Face $50 Million Coal Shortfall In 2025
Wyoming’s budget may see a $50 million shortfall in revenue collection from the state’s coal industry as it moves into 2025, warns Don Richards, co-chairman of the Wyoming Legislative Service Office.
Pat MaioMay 03, 2024
Wyoming May See Next Land Rush For Utility-Sized Solar Farms
Wyoming, with its friendly permitting process to build alternative energy development projects, could see America’s next land rush to build utility-scale solar farms.
Pat MaioMay 03, 2024
Peabody’s Wyoming Coal Mines Report Biggest Production Drop In 10 Years
Peabody Energy Corp., which runs the world’s most productive coal mine in northeastern Wyoming, saw its profit slip 79% from a year ago as production in the region’s surface mining operations sunk to one of its lowest levels in a decade, the company reported Thursday.
Pat MaioMay 02, 2024
Gordon: Wyoming In Crosshairs Of Anti-Fossil Fuel Biden Administration
Gov. Mark Gordon vowed Wednesday that Wyoming will fight an onslaught of Biden initiatives that have put fossil fuels and the state's legacy energy industries in the crosshairs of the administration.
Pat MaioMay 02, 2024
Wyoming-Based Earth Work Solutions To Begin Work On $10M Nuclear Reactor Project
The CEO of Wyoming-based Earth Work Solutions in Gillette confirmed with Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday that it has a $10 million contract to begin excavation work on the nation’s first small nuclear power plant, expected to begin May 20.
Pat MaioMay 01, 2024
Australian Billionaire May Fuel Consolidation Of Wyoming Rare Earths Industry
The richest woman in Australia, who is worth more than $30 billion, could be eyeing a move to buy a significant chunk of Wyoming's rare earths deposits, and has even made a play in the related lithium field.
Pat MaioApril 30, 2024
Coal Production In Wyoming’s Powder River Basin Falls 21%
Data released Monday by the Wyoming State Geological Survey shows 2024 first quarter coal production plummeted nearly 21% from the first quarter of 2023, when the state dug up more than 58 million tons of coal.
Pat MaioApril 29, 2024
American Rare Earths Project Rejects $400 Million Buyout Offer From California Firm
American Rare Earths, which may have one of the world's largest rare earths operations near Wheatland, Wyoming, has rejected a $400 million buyout offer from a group of investors from Oakland, California.
Pat MaioApril 29, 2024
Inside Wyoming’s Uranium Revival At Lost Creek, Largest Producer In The US
Wyoming dominates the uranium sector mining about 95% of all production last year. Ur-Energy’s Lost Creek operation in Wyoming’s vast Red Desert is the leading the uranium boom and is largest producer in the U.S. Cowboy State Daily visited the operation last week.
Pat MaioApril 27, 2024
Wyoming Threatens To Sue Over New EPA Rule Designed To Kill Coal
Gov. Mark Gordon is threatening to sue to stop EPA rules announced Thursday designed to regulate coal-fired power plants out of existence and undermine Wyoming’s economy.
Pat MaioApril 25, 2024
After Poor First Quarter, Arch Warns Layoffs Possible At Wyoming Coal Mines
Arch Resources Inc. reported Thursday that operations of the country’s biggest coal producing region bled red ink in the first quarter, and that layoffs are possible at its Wyoming coal mines.
Pat MaioApril 25, 2024
Gillette-Based Machinery Company To Build, Lease Tiny Nuclear Reactors In Wyoming
Gillette-based L&H Industrial, a 60-year-old industrial machinery company in the coal-rich Powder River Basin, has partnered with nuclear technology innovator BWX Technologies as part of a blockbuster deal to launch a multibillion-dollar industry in the micro nuclear reactor field.
Pat MaioApril 24, 2024
Wyoming Oil And Gas Producers Blast Report They Should Pay $900M For Bonding
Wyoming oil and gas producers are blasting a new report that says Bighorn Basin operators should up to $900 million for bonding as an attempt to regulate them out of business.
Pat MaioApril 19, 2024
Industry: Wyoming’s Orphan Wells Not The Problem The Feds Say They Are
Data on plugging oil and gas wells turned over by the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission shows orphan oil and gas wells in the Cowboy State aren’t the problem federal agencies say they are.
Pat MaioApril 17, 2024
New BLM Drilling Rule Could Put Wyoming Oil And Gas On Life Support
The Cowboy State's oil and gas industry says a new BLM drilling rule could leave large and small operators on life support, and the Petroleum Association of Wyoming says it may sue over it.
Pat MaioApril 16, 2024
Uranium Resurgence Is Putting Wyoming On The International Map
Wyoming is experiencing a resurgence in the uranium industry for a number of reasons including: tightening global supplies, the U.S. is embracing tiny nuclear reactors as a form of clean energy, and fears are growing over dependence on Russia.
Pat MaioApril 15, 2024
Small Oil And Gas Companies May Sue To Overturn BLM Drilling Limits
Independent oil and gas firms say they may sue to overturn new BLM rules issued Friday for drilling on public lands that make the process for bidding on leases more expensive.
Pat MaioApril 12, 2024
Wyoming, Idaho Chase Billions In Funding To Make Region A Nuclear Hub
Wyoming and Idaho officials have been quietly meeting for months as part of a working group to target billions of dollars in federal funding for advanced nuclear projects to make the region a U.S. nuclear hub.
Pat MaioApril 12, 2024
Wind, Solar Projects Get Huge Federal Assistance From Biden Administration
The Biden administration on Thursday announced a new rule which would give solar and wind developers an 80% cut on rents and fees on public lands. Wyoming mining and petroleum groups say it creates an uneven playing field.
Pat MaioApril 11, 2024
Peabody Sees Lowest First-Quarter Wyoming Coal Production In Over A Decade
St. Louis-based Peabody Energy Corp. reported Thursday that it won’t hit financial guidance targets for its first quarter, partially in response to dismal coal production out of Wyoming’s coal-rich Powder River Basin.
Pat MaioApril 11, 2024
$30 Million Project Underway To Move 3 Miles Of U.S. Highway 30 To Access Coal
Work is underway on a $30 million project to move U.S. Highway 30 in Lincoln County to access more than 9 million tons of coal. The work will require more than 50,000 dump trucks moving 1.2 million cubic yards of dirt.
Pat MaioApril 09, 2024
Carbon Capture Project In Southwest Wyoming Vies For $1 Billion To Clean Up Air
CarbonCapture, a Los Angeles-based clean technology company, wants to build one of the world’s largest direct air capture of carbon dioxide and storage hubs and locate it in southwestern Wyoming. The company is hoping to receive funds from the Dept of Energy to proceed.
Pat MaioApril 07, 2024
Meet The Expert On Turbine Eagle Deaths The Wind Energy Industry Turned On
Ecologist Shawn Smallwood has made secretive trips to Wyoming to collect data and provide to law enforcement information on eagles and other birds cut down by turbines. He said the wind industry turned on him because he’s “not a team player.”
Pat MaioApril 05, 2024
Wyoming Boomtown: With 12,000 Workers Expected, Kemmerer Looks To Modular Housing
With more than 12,000 workers expected in the coming years to build billions of dollars worth of energy development projects, Kemmerer is looking to modular housing as one solution to an expected crunch. The Lego-like homes will start arriving next spring.
Pat MaioApril 05, 2024
New Project Would Make Kemmerer Home To $2.5 Billion Coal-To-Ammonia Plant
A new project would make Kemmerer the home to a $2.5 billion coal-to-ammonia plant. The Kemmerer Decarbonization Works project would be built adjacent to the Kemmerer Coal Mine, which last year produced nearly 2.5 million tons of coal.
Pat MaioApril 04, 2024
Canada-Based Company On Schedule To Complete $534M Wyoming Wind Project
The $534 million, 100-turbine Boswell Springs wind farm in northern Albany County, Wyoming, is on schedule to complete construction this year, and will tie into the electrical grid at a substation in Carbon County.
Pat MaioApril 03, 2024
Coal's Not Dead: PacifiCorp Plans To Extend Coal-Fired Plants
PacifiCorp submitted a refreshed roadmap Monday that reveals how it plans to tap energy supplies over the next two decades. It includes extending some coal-fired generation.
Pat MaioApril 02, 2024
Florida Firm Proposes 600-MW Wyoming Wind Project Near Jim Bridger Plant
Two years after a U.S. Justice Department settlement over eagle fatalities, a Florida wind power company plans to boost its inventory of wind farms in Wyoming near the Jim Bridger plant near Rock Springs.
Pat MaioApril 01, 2024
It’s Official: TerraPower Files Permit to Build Wyoming Nuclear Plant
Bill Gates-backed TerraPower LLC filed a construction permit with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Friday to build a commercial nuclear reactor in Kemmerer. It will be the first commercial nuclear reactor to be built in the U.S. in more than a dozen years.
Pat MaioMarch 29, 2024
Rocky Mountain Power Looking At Carbon Capture At Gillette, Glenrock Coal Plants
Rocky Mountain Power, which raised electricity rates 8.3% in January, on Friday announced it is studying whether to place a carbon capture project at either of its Wyoming-based coal-fired power plants — Wyodak near Gillette, or Dave Johnston near Glenrock.
Pat MaioMarch 29, 2024
Company To Build $155 Million Solar Farm In Wyoming's 'Hail Alley'
Cowboy Energy and Portugal's Greenvolt Power have teamed up to build a $155 million solar farm near the farming community of Yoder, Wyoming. They say the 326,000 solar panels will be hail-resistant and will cover 1,200 acres.
Pat MaioMarch 28, 2024
Gillette’s Dry Fork Station Could Become World’s Largest Carbon Capture Plant
An energy research association and a California filtration business have received millions from the U.S. Department of Energy to continue developing a project in Gillette that could make Dry Fork the largest carbon capture power plant in the world.
Pat MaioMarch 28, 2024
Ramaco Says $37 Billion Wyoming Rare Earth Estimate May Have Been Too Low
Ramaco is pulling back from a valuation estimate of $37 billion for critical rare earth minerals discovered underground in northeastern Wyoming. The estimate could be billions of dollars higher as some of the minerals have been banned by China for export to the U.S.
Pat MaioMarch 27, 2024
Texas-Based Company Pushes Development Of Huge Uranium Deposits in Wyoming
EnCore, a Texas-based uranium producer, is developing huge uranium deposits throughout Wyoming. Its top priority is to pull out of the ground 8 million pounds of uranium at its Gas Hills project, located 45 miles east of Riverton.
Pat MaioMarch 27, 2024
Ramaco's Rare Earths Deposit In Northeast Wyoming Estimated Worth At $37 Billion
Ramaco Resources in northeast Wyoming plans to update its rare earths deposit find Wednesday, pushing the estimate on tonnage underground to over 1.5 million tons, and the value to more than $37 billion.
Pat MaioMarch 26, 2024
Top Executive For $44 Million Rare Earths Project Leaves For Wyoming Uranium Job
Brent Berg, the top executive behind development of a $44 million rare earth minerals project near Upton, Wyoming, backed by the U.S. Department of Energy, has left the company for an in-state uranium job.
Pat MaioMarch 25, 2024
Lost In Time: There Was A Working Nuclear Reactor At UW 60 Years Ago
Although many have thought it was an urban myth, it's actually true. There was a working nuclear reactor in the basement of the University of Wyoming Engineering Building in the 1960s. Dr. Victor Albert Ryan, a nuclear chemist, brought it with him to establish UW's nuclear research program.
Pat MaioMarch 23, 2024
Wyoming Firms Win Access To Top Nuclear Labs To Research Advanced Tech
Two Cheyenne, Wyoming, companies have advanced in a competitive program with the federal energy agency that gives them access to the nation's top research laboratories to work on new advanced nuclear technologies.
Pat MaioMarch 22, 2024
Australian Company Inks $117M Deal To Supply Wyoming Uranium to Belgium Buyer
Peninsula Energy of Australia says it plans to sell between $88 million and $117 million worth of Wyoming uranium from a mine near Gillette to a European nuclear fuel buyer from Belgium.
Pat MaioMarch 20, 2024
TerraPower Expects To Start Building Wyoming Nuclear Site In June
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday that it expects TerraPower to file a construction permit within days. The company plans to start building its small nuclear power plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming, in June.
Pat MaioMarch 19, 2024
$11M Raised For Massive Field Of Carbon-Sucking Silos In Central Wyoming
A plan to locate a massive field of silos that suck carbon dioxide out of the air is planned somewhere in central Wyoming, and $11 million has been raised so far.
Pat MaioMarch 19, 2024
L&H Says Cheyenne, Laramie On Short List For Headquarters Of New Nuclear Business
Wyoming is becoming the new ground zero for building small nuclear reactors, which has prompted Gillette-based L&H Industrial to launch its new nuclear business, which could be based in Cheyenne or Laramie.
Pat MaioMarch 18, 2024
Company To Invest $456 Million To Develop Huge Wyoming Rare Earths Deposit
American Rare Earths on Sunday said the $456 million it expects to invest in its rare earths mine near Wheatland is a realistic plan to begin production over the next few years. The site could be the world's richest, the company says.
Pat MaioMarch 17, 2024
Wyoming A Finalist For Factory To Build Portable Micro-Nuclear Plants
A nuclear technologies business has selected Wyoming as one of five finalists to locate a factory to build portable micro-nuclear power plants that can power anything from mining and drilling operations to military equipment or large subdivision of homes.
Pat MaioMarch 15, 2024
$80 Million Raised To Build Giant Carbon Capture Project In Wyoming
A pair of carbon capture companies have raised $80 million to build what would be the world’s largest direct-air carbon capture and storage project in southwest Wyoming, called Project Bison.
Pat MaioMarch 14, 2024
Wyoming Part Of Aggressive Effort To Get Cutting-Edge Nuclear Plants Online
The federal government’s Idaho National Laboratory is building close ties with Wyoming and other states on aggressive research and deployment of advanced nuclear plants.
Pat MaioMarch 13, 2024
Wyoming’s Trona Boom Continues With Proposed $6 Billion Mine Near Green River
The backers of the latest trona mining project in southwest Wyoming near Green River have proposed a $5 billion to $6 billion investment, more than double a rival operator’s $2.6 billion project unveiled just a few weeks ago.
Pat MaioMarch 11, 2024
Shhhhhh! There's A Pot Of Gold In The Dusty Landscape Of Wamsutter, Wyoming
The wheels are turning on a $300 million distribution hub in Wamsutter, Wyoming, to move huge volumes of natural gas across the U.S. West, but nobody will talk about it.
Pat MaioMarch 10, 2024
State of Wyoming Has 2 EVs In Its Fleet of 1,100 Vehicles And Not Likely To Get Any More
The state of Wyoming has nearly 1,100 vehicles in its fleet, including two electric vehicles. State officials say the two EVs in Cheyenne work fine but the state is too spacious for any more.
Pat MaioMarch 09, 2024
Critics Say BLM ‘Doing Bare Minimum’ For Wyoming Oil And Gas Lease Auctions
Critics of oil and gas lease auctions held by BLM want more federal land offered for sale, with one Wyoming industry representative saying the agency is just “doing the bare minimum” required to favor green polices.
Pat MaioMarch 07, 2024
Race Is On To Produce Wyoming Rare Earths As Wheatland Project Advances
American Rare Earths Inc. said Wednesday that it has raised nearly $9 million to advance its mining project near Wheatland. It's significant because several rare earth minerals companies in Wyoming are rushing to get their shovels in the ground first and move to commercial-scale production.
Pat MaioMarch 06, 2024
Wyoming Rare Earths Project Near Upton Could Be Richer Than Estimated
Rare Element Resources, scheduled to complete a rare earth minerals demonstration plant in Upton in northeast Wyoming this summer, could have richer deposits of minerals than estimated, but could need more money to finish.
Pat MaioMarch 05, 2024
Wyoming Holding Smallest Oil & Gas Lease Auction In Years; Dismal Prospects Continue
Wyoming is holding its smallest oil and gas lease auction in years this week and that's par for the course lately. During the Trump years, the state of Wyoming collected $95 million in bonus and rental fees, compared with a little over $19 million during the Biden years.
Pat MaioMarch 04, 2024
More Than $11 Million Earmarked For Wyoming Oil, Mineral Projects
An influential panel of Wyoming's Energy Matching Funds program wants to spend more than $11 million to evaluate two projects that could help energize electric vehicles and squeeze more oil out of the ground.
Pat MaioFebruary 29, 2024
Wyoming Likely To See Billions Of Dollars In Wind Projects Built In Next Few Years
Wind projects costing billions of dollars that expect to produce thousands of megawatts of wind power are in the pipeline to be built in Wyoming. But predicting when they could be connected to the electric grid is much more difficult to predict.
Pat MaioFebruary 27, 2024
Federal Coal Leasing In Wyoming Expected To Draw Lukewarm Interest This Year
The moratorium on federal coal leasing in Wyoming's Powder River Basin has been lifted, but experts don't expect a bidding rush until after the Nov. 5 presidential election.
Pat MaioFebruary 23, 2024
Appeals Court Ruling Lifts Moratorium On Wyoming’s Federal Coal Leases
A longstanding federal moratorium on coal leases was lifted Wednesday in a move hailed by the Wyoming Mining Association, which call on the BLM to "now actually do its job and let Wyoming producers lease federal coal again."
Pat MaioFebruary 22, 2024
Effort to Build Out EV Charging Stations In Wyoming Struggling to Find Traction
The Wyoming Department of Transportation wants to jump-start its program to build out a network of electric vehicle charging stations with federal money, but the effort can’t seem to find much traction.
Pat MaioFebruary 19, 2024
As Production Slows, Arch Considers Sale of Wyoming Coal Mines
The potential sale of thermal coal assets by Arch Resources isn't the first time the St. Louis company has talked about getting rid of its thermal coal assets in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin, which continue to struggle with production.
Pat MaioFebruary 16, 2024
Committee Considers How To Recover Rates For Electricity Shipped Out Of State
A Senate panel is considering a proposal to define recovery of costs that do not benefit ratepayers in Wyoming — especially those coming from wind and solar farms where power sometimes gets shipped out of state.
Pat MaioFebruary 14, 2024
Gillette, Wyoming Makes Pitch To Become Hub To Build Tiny Nuclear Plants
Gillette Mayor Shay Lundvall has a vision for the coal-rich Powder River Basin in northeast Wyoming: Bring a components manufacturer and assembly factory together to build tiny nuclear power plants.
Pat MaioFebruary 12, 2024
World's Foremost Authority On Solar Sheep Advising Wyoming $500 Million Solar Farm
No one knows more about about solar panels and how they affect grazing sheep than Oregon State professor Chad Higgins. Considered the world's foremost authority in agrivoltaics, he's helping a $500 million solar farm project near Glenrock.
Pat MaioFebruary 09, 2024
Despite Tornado, Peabody Ships Most Fourth Quarter Coal In Four Years
Peabody’s Powder River Basin mines shipped 23.6 million tons of coal in the fourth quarter of 2023, the highest quarterly volume since 2019 despite recovery efforts from a tornado that hit its flagship mine.
Pat MaioFebruary 08, 2024
Wyoming Treasurer Wants To Know How Atlas Carbon Spent $15 Million Loan
Wyoming Treasurer Curt Meier said he is heading up to Gillette to get a firsthand look at what Atlas Carbon did with the state’s loan money and to review the books to see if the state’s investment is salvageable.
Pat MaioFebruary 08, 2024
Hageman Wants To Give Local Control Of 99-Year-Old Wyoming Hydro Plant
Rep. Hageman’s proposal to transfer ownership of a shuttered 99-year-old Wyoming Bureau of Reclamation hydro power plant to the Midvale Irrigation District in Fremont County passed the U.S. House on Wednesday.
Pat MaioFebruary 07, 2024
Rare Earths Discovery Near Wheatland So Big It Could Be World Leader
American Rare Earths Inc. disclosed in a technical report on Wednesday that it found 64% more rare earth minerals than it had originally envisioned. “This exceeded our wildest dreams,” CEO Donald Swartz told Cowboy State Daily.
Pat MaioFebruary 07, 2024
Wyoming Company’s Innovative Design Could Make Wind Turbines Obsolete
A Laramie wind energy startup creates wind energy loops that operate horizontally and low to the ground. They say the design could produce hundreds of megawatts of power at a fraction of the cost and footprint of traditional horizontal axis wind turbines.
Pat MaioFebruary 06, 2024
Inside Wyoming's Mission Control For Largest Fleet Of Wind Turbines In The West
PacifiCorp owns 1,032 turbines in the U.S. Northwest and is the most by any rate-regulated power company in the western half of America. It's all controlled from its "mission control center" in Casper, Wyoming.
Pat MaioFebruary 04, 2024
$230 Million Wind Farm Near Glenrock Could Bring 200 Jobs, Power 44,000 Homes
Virginia-based energy giant AES Corp. says its $230 million Settler wind farm near Glenrock, Wyoming, could bring 200 jobs at the peak of construction and produce enough electricity to power 44,000 homes.
Pat MaioFebruary 02, 2024
Wyoming Wants To Use $10 Million In Biden Tax Credits To Access Oil
The Wyoming Legislature will consider a proposal this month to use $10 million from a Biden Administration tax credit for enhanced oil recovery.
Pat MaioFebruary 01, 2024
Canadian Company To Go After Millions Of Pounds Of Wyoming Uranium
A rush to open uranium mines in Wyoming has Nuclear Fuels looking across the Kaycee countryside for deposits that could access millions of pounds of uranium as the state and nation rush to roll out new nuclear plants.
Pat MaioJanuary 31, 2024
Wyoming Mining Industries Headed For Showdown Over Property Rights
A Cheyenne legislator has sponsored a bill that could give Wyoming surface rights owners the ability to halt some minerals extraction on their land for any reason. "It would have a very significant change in the mining industry," the Wyoming Mining Association said.
Pat MaioJanuary 31, 2024
Biden Ban On Gas Exports Another Hit For Wyoming’s Oil And Gas Industries
A Biden administration ban on liquid natural gas exports announced Friday is just another hit from federal agencies aimed at ending oil and gas in the U.S. and Wyoming.
Pat MaioJanuary 29, 2024
Why Are There People Driving Electric Vehicles In Gillette, Wyoming?
One electric vehicle driver in Gillette says he gets “a lot of crap” for driving an EV. But he tells them he knows where his electricity comes from, and it’s coal. “I’m not from California and I don’t have my head stuck in the sand.”
Renée JeanJanuary 27, 2024
As Wyoming Coal Creek Mine Nears Closing, Locals Want To Build Industrial Park
With the closure of Arch Resources Inc.’s Coal Creek mine south of Gillette, local and Wyoming officials want to turn part of it into an industrial park.
Pat MaioJanuary 24, 2024
Potential Wyoming EV Charging Station Owners Say Investment In Them Too Shaky
As WYDOT is again planning to build out a statewide EV charging network across I-80, I-25 and I-90, potential station owners across the state say the plan is too shaky to invest in.
Pat MaioJanuary 22, 2024
Gillette’s Atlas Carbon Pioneers Making Wyoming Coal Profitable Without Burning It
Nearly a decade after setting up shop in Gillette to make Wyoming coal profitable doing something other than burning it, Atlas Carbon is building a new plant and tripling production.
Pat MaioJanuary 21, 2024
Uranium Prices Explode As Wyoming Uranium Miners Rush To Cash In
Uranium prices have exploded by 165% over the last year, and 15% just in the last week, which has caused a new rush for Wyoming Uranium miners to cash in. New uranium mines are opening up and expanding.
Pat MaioJanuary 19, 2024
Wyoming Oil And Gas Stand To Lose $900M, 3,000 Jobs Under BLM Plan
In comments protesting the controversial Rock Springs Resource Management Plan for 3.6 million acres in southwest Wyoming, the state’s oil and gas industries say they could lose $900 million and 3,000 jobs under the federal plan.
Pat MaioJanuary 18, 2024
Struggling Wyoming Coal Processing Company Merges With Colorado Firm
Gillette-based Clean Coal Technologies Inc., a coal processing technology company that has struggled for years to find a footing in a teetering coal market, has a new financial lifeline. If successful, the company's process for treating coal could boost Wyoming's struggling industry.
Pat MaioJanuary 16, 2024
Canada Energy Giant Wants To Build One Of Wyoming’s Largest Solar Farms
Despite sub-zero temperatures and snowfall blanketing Laramie County, a Canadian energy company wants to build a sprawling solar power farm that they say could power Wyoming industry. The proposed 771-megawatt solar power facility could generate enough electricity to light up more than 771,000 homes.
Pat MaioJanuary 15, 2024
$50 Million Effort On To Pump Wyoming’s Hidden Oil And Gas
A who’s who of U.S. energy companies are putting up half of a $50 million partnership with the University of Wyoming to pump the hidden oil and gas in Wyoming’s mature oil fields.
Pat MaioJanuary 12, 2024
Wyoming EV Network Not Dead As State Looks For Businesses To Run Charging Stations
Since being put on life support last spring, the State of Wyoming is again looking for private businesses to operate a network of new EV charging stations funded by $24 million in federal taxpayer money.
Pat MaioJanuary 11, 2024
Wyoming Uranium About To Boom As US Prices Rise
The uranium industry is riding a red-hot market. Miners want to reopen production lines throughout Wyoming, and perhaps hire hundreds to keep up with demand.
Pat MaioJanuary 10, 2024
Asphalt May Be A New Market For Struggling Wyoming Coal Industry
The state and Peabody Energy Corp. are among those investing millions of dollars into a demonstration project to show Wyoming coal can be made into asphalt for roads and parking lots.
Pat MaioJanuary 09, 2024
Rocky Mountain Power Customers To Get $9 Million Rebate On Overpaid Costs
Wyoming Public Service Commission approved an 11th-hour settlement Tuesday that will refund $9 million in overpayments to Rocky Mountain Power customers, lowering a rate hike for the first six months of 2024 from 8.3% to 5.5%.
Renée JeanDecember 20, 2023
Hageman, Lummis Bash Biden For Committing To Ending Coal By 2035
Harriet Hageman, Cynthia Lummis and Gov. Mark Gordon are all bashing President Joe Biden this week for doubling down on his message to end America’s coal industry by 2035.
Leo WolfsonDecember 06, 2023
$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
Small Nuclear Reactor Could Power Wyoming’s Trona Industry
BWXT Advanced Technologies is designing micronuclear reactors in Wyoming. These have the potential to supply Wyoming industries, such as trona mines, with carbon-free energy.
September 14, 2023
Teslas Think Yellowstone Bison Are Human-Dog Shapeshifters
According to Tesla’s AI software, Yellowstone National Park’s bison are people who magically shapeshift into dogs as the vehicle passes them.
Mark HeinzSeptember 14, 2023
Wyoming Residents Mad That West Coast Green Energy Goals Trump Their Landscapes
A recent column in Reuters says that Wyoming’s landscape is ideal for massive wind developments to feed West Coast green energy demand, but nobody asked the people who live here.
September 14, 2023
National Group Says EV Mandates Do Nothing For The Environment & Hurt The Poor
A coalition is bringing together groups to oppose electric vehicle mandates and protect consumer choice in the automotive marketplace, which they argue will lead to better outcomes for everyone.
September 13, 2023
Boner Calls Biden "Absurd" For Claiming Global Warming Greater Threat Than Nuclear War
Wyoming state Sen. Brian Boner on Monday said President Biden's "extreme language" in stating global warming is a greater threat than nuclear war is absurd and doesn't help to formulate sound energy policies.
September 11, 2023
$7 Trillion In Reported Fossil Fuel Subsidies Isn’t Real Money, Economist Says
A working paper from the International Monetary Fund estimates that fossil fuels received $7 trillion in subsidies last year, but it’s not real taxpayer money, an economist says.
September 11, 2023
Study Says Permitting Delays And Energy Litigation Are Hurting U.S. Economy
Americans For Prosperity published a report Friday that examined 30 energy projects across the country that were delayed or canceled as a result of regulatory barriers and litigation, which the group says is killing jobs and raising energy costs.
September 08, 2023
Biden Cancels ANWR Leases In Ongoing War On Oil And Gas
The Biden administration’s decision to cancel Trump-era oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has drawn anger from Wyoming officials, who say the ongoing regulatory uncertainty is killing the industry.
September 07, 2023
Reports This Summer Is Hottest In 125,000 Years ‘Completely Unscientific,' Expert Says
Widespread claims that this summer has been the hottest the planet has seen in 125,000 years can’t be trusted and are “completely unscientific,” an expert explains.
September 06, 2023
Polar Bear Expert Scoffs At UW Professor's Report Saying Greenhouse Gas Killing Polar Bears
A new paper by polar bear researcher and University of Wyoming Professor Dr. Steven Amstrup claims to find a link between greenhouse gas emissions and polar bear survival, but a noted polar bear expert said his report was full of errors.
September 06, 2023
Another Report Says Fossil Fuels Will Remain Most Used Energy Source For Decades
An annual report from ExxonMobil predicts that fossil fuels will provide 68% of the world’s energy needs by 2050, down from 80% today. The figures are comparable to other forecasts.
September 05, 2023
Wyoming Backs Off Tax That Would Have Shut Down Many EV Charging Stations
The CEO of an electric charging station company said a proposed tax on Level 2 charging stations would have likely led to most of them closing. He said a draft bill will likely produce good outcomes.
September 05, 2023
As Spent Turbine Blades Pile Up All Over The U.S., Wyoming Seeks Solutions
Wyoming is paying attention to a growing problem of wind turbine blade disposal. A mechanical engineer with experience in the wind industry said the blades are so hard, it’s going to be difficult to do much with them.
August 31, 2023
Wyoming On Notice As Others Pause Permitting For Wind Projects
Concerned over the number of proposed renewable energy projects, Twin Falls County in Idaho has joined other jurisdictions that are showing more restraint in permitting. Some say Wyoming needs to do the same.
August 30, 2023
Now Wyoming Legislature Involved With Proposed 30% Electricity Rate Hike
The Wyoming Legislature’s Corporations Committee will draft legislation to help address the requested 30% spike in electricity rate increases from Rocky Mountain Power.
August 28, 2023
J.D. Power Survey: EV Owners Frustrated With Broken Chargers, Long Charge Times
A new J.D. Power survey shows declining customer satisfaction with electric vehicle charging stations as companies rush to build them out. Common complaints include long charging times, chargers being inoperable, and long lines.
August 25, 2023
Outrage Over Proposed 30% Electricity Rate Hike That's 'Going To Kill Wyoming'
Wyoming elected officials, residents and business owners packed a room in Casper on Thursday night to tell the Public Service Commission to deny a 30% rate increase Rocky Mountain Power wants.
August 25, 2023
Wyoming History: Sundance Had First Portable Nuclear Reactor In The United States
The first U.S. portable land-based nuclear reactor was packed into 16 shipping containers during the Cold War, flown to Ellsworth Air Force Base and built below Warren Peak near Sundance, Wyoming.
August 23, 2023
$500 Million Solar Farm Near Glenrock Will Have Raised Panels So Sheep Can Graze
A proposed solar farm in Converse County will cover the equivalent of 3,500 football fields and feature raised panels that will allow sheep to graze under them.
August 23, 2023
Crane Boom Falls, Crushes Rig Worker Near Douglas
OSHA says its investigation into a June accident where a rig company crane fell and crushed a Casper man working at a site near Douglas could take months.
Clair McFarlandAugust 22, 2023
‘Dirty’ Industry Workers Aren’t Transitioning To ‘Green’ Jobs, Study Finds
While it’s reported that a green economy will create new career paths for displaced workers in the oil, gas and coal industries, a new study finds that less than 1% of those in “dirty” jobs move into “green” jobs.
August 22, 2023
Some Want Wyoming To Stop Wind Development To Study Negative Impacts
The Canadian province of Alberta enacted a pause on wind farm permits to take time to study the impacts of so much industrial development on the rural area. Some say Wyoming should do the same.
August 22, 2023
Renewables Get Four Times More Subsidies, Produce One-Fifth Of Total Energy
The latest figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that renewables received $15.6 billion in fiscal year 2022, compared to $3.6 billion for fossil fuels. Renewables, however, produced 21% of total energy.
August 21, 2023
Ford CEO Drives F-150 EV Truck, Shocked At How Long It Takes To Charge
As Ford Motor Co. gets billions of dollars from the federal government for its transition to EVs, CEO Jim Farley drove one of his F-150 Lightnings, and was shocked at how long it takes to charge.
August 21, 2023
Former UW Prof Among 1,600 Scientists To Declare Climate Change Not Emergency
A former University of Wyoming professor is among 1,600 scientists who have signed a declaration stating there is no climate emergency that justifies eliminating fossil fuel usage by 2050.
August 20, 2023
Why Shutting Down Wyoming Coal Exports Has Made Pollution Worse
Environmentalists successfully defeated an export terminal in Washington that would have shipped Wyoming coal to Asia. Now Asia burns more coal than ever — and it's far dirtier coal than Wyoming’s.
August 19, 2023
Climate Alarmists Retreat From Twitter, Block Others When Challenged
About half of the platform’s climate activists and scientists are no longer active on X, formerly known as Twitter. Those who haven’t left block those who challenge them.
August 19, 2023
At Current Pace, U.S. Will Eliminate Fossil Fuels In 170 Years
The New York Times reported this week that the United States is “rapidly shifting away from fossil fuels.” However, at the current pace, the U.S. will eliminate fossil fuels in 170 years.
August 17, 2023
On Anniversary Of Biden Inflation Plan, Critics Say US Now Subservient To China
On the anniversary of the so-called Inflation Reduction Act, critics say Biden's focus on eliminating domestic mines is making the U.S. increasingly dependent on China, which controls 40% to 80% of the key minerals needed for EVs, wind turbines and solar panels.
August 17, 2023
Wind Power Critics Say Double Standard Allows Industry To Ignore Wildlife Impacts
A new documentary showing that offshore wind is killing whales, which the federal government and environmental groups deny, is all-too familiar to Wyomingites concerned about wildlife impacts here.
August 15, 2023
Electricity Rate Hike Would Make It Cheaper To Buy Trona From China Than Wyoming
Wyoming produces about 90% of the U.S. demand for trona. Rep. Jon Conrad says a proposed electricity rate hike would drive costs so high that the mines would struggle to compete with trona from China.
August 15, 2023
Climate Change Hysteria So Extreme For Some They’re Seeking Therapy
Many people are seeking professional help for serious anxieties over climate change. Are they reacting normally to a real risk, or is this a mental health problem driven by media distortions?
August 14, 2023
Climate Crisis Board Games Blame Fossil Fuels For Everything
Now game developers are designing games where players solve the “climate crisis” by eliminating the use of fossil fuels. Scoffing at the effort, one critic says, “We need to teach our kids where electricity comes from, not just the wall.”
August 12, 2023
Critics Blast Rocky Mountain Power For Request To Increase Wyoming Electricity Rates By 30%
Rep. Tony Locke, R-Casper, said if the 30% increase in electricity rates are approved, residents are going to get a double whammy. The first comes directly to their electricity bills. The second will come when businesses pass on their increased costs to consumers.
August 11, 2023
Media Has It Wrong: Frequency Of Climate Disasters Down
Though it’s often reported that climate-related natural disasters are becoming more frequent, the latest numbers show a decline since 2000.
August 10, 2023
Demonizing Oil Claims Another Casualty: Petroleum Engineers
University of Wyoming graduate Linnae Lueken said the reason there are so few petroleum engineering graduates now is because oil companies let critics stomp all over them by not challenging anti-fossil fuel rhetoric.
August 10, 2023
After Draining Oil Stockpile, Biden Walks Tightrope To Avoid Upsetting Voters
On one hand, the Biden administration wants to stop all oil and gas production. On the other, it wants do everything it can to avoid the consequences of that policy, which requires it to get oil from somewhere.
August 08, 2023
Environmental Groups Lose Appeal Of Wyoming 3,500 Gas Well Project at Jonah Field
After five years of litigation, the federal 10th Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected claims by environmental groups against a Wyoming 3,500-well natural gas project at Jonah Field.
Cat UrbigkitAugust 07, 2023
New Solar Farm Coming To Hail Epicenter of Wyoming; Mayor Thinks It's 'Useless Effort'
The mayor of Yoder, a town in southeast Wyoming’s “Hail Alley,” says he’s thinks a proposed solar farm outside of his community is useless.
August 03, 2023
Biden Getting Pressure To Enact COVID-Like Lockdowns For Climate Change
While President Joe Biden has stopped short of using the National Emergencies Act to address climate change, there have been serious calls for him to do so.
August 03, 2023
Conservatives Have Energy Playbook Ready If GOP Wins White House In 2024
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, has developed a playbook similar to one that was influential in the Ronald Reagan administration that will reverse Biden’s war on oil, gas and coal.
August 03, 2023
Lawsuit Claims BLM Excluded Public With Secret Approval Of Wind Project
A lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management claims the agency is failing to assess the environmental impacts of so much wind development in Wyoming, while also excluding the public from the process.
August 01, 2023
Although Some e-Scooters Have Burst Into Flames, The Likelihood Is Remote
Electric scooters have been catching on in Wyoming and although there have been many media reports of the scooters bursting into flames, the likelihood is remote.
August 01, 2023
Contrary To Sensational Reporting, Summer Heat Is ‘Unremarkable,’ Says Meteorologist
The catastrophic heat being reported in many media circles doesn’t reflect reality, says meteorologist Don Day. What’s happening is a lot of cherry picking of information, and then amplification of that cherry-picked information.
July 31, 2023
Sheridan Mom Angry About Cartoons Portraying Oil And Gas Industry As Evil
A Sheridan mother says a cartoon showing an earthquake-causing “fracking well” run by an evil man is a part of a greater problem in media for kids that portrays the oil and gas industry as evil.
July 28, 2023
While Biden Shuts Down U.S. Coal, China’s Coal Use Surges To Record Levels
Although it's reported the world is going through a transition away from fossil fuels to so-called 'green energy,' the data doesn’t support it. The use of coal in China has exploded thereby making overall coal consumption increase.
July 28, 2023
Environmentalists Shutting Down Wyoming Oil & Gas Industry Through Litigation
Nearly every lease and permit issued in Wyoming since 2021 has faced litigation from various anti-fossil fuel groups. As a result, 2 million acres are languishing in a holding pattern awaiting court decisions that will take years.
July 28, 2023
Research Shows Solar Panels Produce Far More Carbon Dioxide Than Claimed
An independent Italian researcher dug into the data on the carbon intensity of solar panels and found it’s all based on European manufacturing. The problem is that China is the world’s main producer, and China loves coal.
July 25, 2023
Biden Administration Now Wants To Increase Oil And Gas After Trying To Decrease Oil And Gas
It would seem the Biden administration can’t decide if America needs oil or not. Just a week after the BLM released new rules that will decrease the supply of oil, the Energy Secretary is now saying “we want to see more supply" of oil.
July 25, 2023
Biden’s War On Appliances Continues With New Rules For Portable Generators
The Biden administration is going after portable gasoline-powered generators to reduce carbon monoxide emissions. Critics say the rules will raise costs for consumers and potentially create fire risks.
July 24, 2023
Anti-Fossil Fuel 'Net Zero By 2050' Roadmap Riddled With Errors And ‘Unrealistic Assumptions’
An independent analysis of the International Energy Agency's 'Net Zero by 2050' roadmap for a global transformation away from fossil fuels is riddled with flawed assumptions, fails to grasp the enormity of the consequences of its policy prescriptions, and has misled policymakers.
July 23, 2023
New Rules Show Biden Making Good On Promise To End Oil And Gas
The Bureau of Land Management announced new rules that will greatly increase the cost of oil and gas development on public lands. Critics say if the rules become final, it will likely make oil and gas production in Wyoming uneconomical.
July 22, 2023
Poor Rail Service Costs Wyoming Trona Mines $20 Million In First Quarter Of 2023
Not enough rail cars cost Wyoming’s trona mines $20 million in the first quarter of this year. Industry representatives say it’s improving, but wheat producers say service has been getting steadily worse for years.
July 21, 2023
Major Wyoming Wind Project Delayed A Year Over Turbine Troubles
Construction of the Rock Creek II wind project in Albany and Carbon counties will be delayed a year as General Electric fails to deliver the turbines on time.
July 20, 2023
New Study Shows Electric Vehicle Emission Reductions Based On ‘Outright Guess’
A new study by a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute finds that electric vehicles may actually increase emissions, raising questions as other states ban gas-powered cars.
July 20, 2023
Range Anxiety Drives EV Owner To Rent Gas-Powered Car To Cross Wyoming
It took Alan O’Hashi 15 hours to drive an electric vehicle from Cheyenne to Casper last year. This summer, he tried another long trip to Thermopolis, but had EV "range anxiety" and turned back to Rawlins to rent a gas-powered car.
July 16, 2023
Barbados Leader Demands Climate Reparations Because Wyoming Is As Cold As Mars
Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley told CNN that wealthy nations cause climate change and should pay trillions to developing countries. As proof, Mottley wrongly said Wyoming is now as cold as Mars.
July 15, 2023
Former Base Commander: F.E. Warren Plan To Go 'All-Electric' Is Pure Showmanship
F.E. Warren Air Force Base says it will go all-electric with its light-duty fleet of vehicles. A former base commander calls the move "showmanship."
July 13, 2023
21 Coal Cars Derail Near Lusk Monday Morning
More than 20 rail cars carrying Powder River Basin coal leaving the Wyoming mines outside of Bill, Wyoming, derailed early Monday near Lusk, spilling coal, but nobody was hurt. The cause is under investigation.
Clair McFarlandJuly 10, 2023
Destroyed Solar Panels In Hailstorm Will End Up In Landfills Because Recycling Isn’t Economical
The panels of a solar farm in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, that were destroyed in a hailstorm last week will likely be taken to a landfill. There’s no way to recycle a solar panel to produce another one, and it’s not economical to recover minerals from them.
July 08, 2023
Kenyan Farmer Wants Activists To Experience Agriculture Without Fossil Fuels
Frustrated with activists and world leaders telling African countries not to develop with coal, oil and gas, a farmer in Kenya told Cowboy State Daily that he's offering an internship to educate people on life without fossil fuels.
July 08, 2023
Automakers Warn EPA Electric Vehicle Mandates Are ‘Neither Reasonable Nor Achievable’
Although the Biden administration announced that two-thirds of new passenger cars and 25% of electric trucks sold in the U.S. must be electric, automakers said this week that the goals are not achievable.
July 07, 2023
China Plays Dirty To Keep Mineral Prices Low And Hamstring US Companies, Critics Say
Mining experts say China plays dirty to maintain its dominance of the global minerals market by manipulating prices and scaring off competition.
July 07, 2023
Highest Global Temperature Ever? No, Records Only Go Back To 1979
Sensational headlines report that the highest average global temperature on record was reached this week, but is it proof of catastrophic climate change? Experts say no.
July 06, 2023
Planned Wyoming Mine May Help Avoid Copper Supply ‘Train Wreck’
A billionaire financier of the mining industry warns that the supply of copper won’t keep up with an accelerated demand, leading to a “train wreck.” Fortunately, a copper mine west of Cheyenne is in the permitting process.
July 05, 2023
Now Biden Wants Study To Block The Sun To Fight Global Warming
Once considered a fringe idea, the White House has expressed support to study putting aerosols into the stratosphere to block sunlight in an effort to fight global warming.
July 04, 2023
Electric Vehicle Fires Are So Hard To Put Out, It’s Often Best To Let Them Burn
Curt Yanish, a firefighter in Sublette County, said because it could take 40,000 gallons of water to extinguish an EV car battery, many times it makes more sense to take the burning vehicle, move it to the side of the road and let it burn.
July 02, 2023
Oregon County Blames Oil, Coal Companies For Climate Change, Suing For $51 Billion
A county in Oregon is suing oil and coal companies for $51 billion, alleging that if the companies weren’t supplying the energy and products that people want to buy, a heat event in 2021 wouldn’t have happened.
June 30, 2023
Wyoming Ranked Least Green State In Nation As Other States Use Its Fossil Fuel Energy
Consumer Affairs ranks Wyoming as the least “green” state in the nation based on its carbon dioxide emissions, but the rankings don’t account for other “greener” states using Wyoming’s coal-fired power.
June 29, 2023
Wyoming Lawmakers Ponder Tax On Electricity To Make Up For Lost Coal Revenue
Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, is proposing a tax on electricity in anticipation of the end of Wyoming’s coal industry. Critics say it will drive up energy bills, lead to personal income taxes and make the state’s energy industries less competitive.
June 29, 2023
Green Energy Grows, But Fossil Fuels Still Dominate, Accounting For 81% Of Global Energy
Proponents of a future free of fossil fuels got some disappointing news this week. Stats show oil, gas and coal continue to be the overwhelming main source of energy, despite increases in renewable energy capacity.
June 28, 2023
Baseball-Sized Hail Smashing Into Panels At 150 MPH Destroys Scottsbluff Solar Farm
Baseball-sized hail took out a 5.2-megawatt solar farm in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, on Friday, as part of a giant supercell thunderhead that moved across eastern Wyoming and into Nebraska.
June 27, 2023
Train Falls Into Yellowstone River Dumping Molten Sulfur And Asphalt
A freight train carrying molten sulfur and asphalt fell into the Yellowstone River in Montana on Saturday morning after parts of a bridge collapsed. Officials say eight tanker cars ruptured on impact.
Jimmy OrrJune 24, 2023
Wyoming Oil And Gas Held Back More By Taxes Than Regulation, Says Industry Group
The Petroleum Association of Wyoming told the state Legislature’s Regulatory Reduction Task Force this week that taxes hit Wyoming oil producers, many of which are small businesses, harder than government regulation.
June 23, 2023
John Kerry’s Claim Climate Change Kills 15 Million A Year Draws Ethics Complaint
A government watchdog filed a formal complaint against Climate Czar John Kerry for claiming 15 million people die every year from greenhouse gas emissions, saying there’s no scientific basis for the statement.
June 23, 2023
US House Stands Against Biden’s War On Gas Stoves; Will The Senate Do The Same?
The U.S. House passed two pieces of legislation that would put the brakes on the Biden administration’s war on gas stoves. Now legislation in the Senate aims to do the same, but it’s got a hard road ahead.
June 21, 2023
Exclusive: Anti-Fossil Fuel Group Inaccurately Claims Expert Witness In Climate Trial Canceled Her Appearance
Climate scientist Dr. Judith Curry said a decision by state attorneys not to call her as a witness in a Montana climate change trial was misrepresented by the anti-fossil fuels group pushing the.
June 21, 2023
Wyoming Energy Authority Says Halt Of Coal Leases Causing ‘Significant And Unnecessary Harm’
An Obama-era ban on new coal mining, which has continued under the Biden administration, threatens to destroy Wyoming’s coal industry, the Wyoming Energy Authority said in comments to the BLM on the long-standing ban on coal leasing.
June 21, 2023
Ask Jake: Why Can't Magnet-Propelled Cars Work?
Although the drawing might be a bit crude, why can't this work? The slab of metal on the grill should be attracted to the giant magnet on the end of the crane and the vehicle should move. Reporter Jake Nichols explains why...
Jake NicholsJune 21, 2023
Court Hears Closing Arguments In Case Of Youth Suing Montana Over Climate Impacts Of Fossil Fuels
A Montana court listened to closing remarks Tuesday in a case where 16 young people are suing Montana for not stopping fossil fuel projects. The case could impact energy policies across the U.S.
June 20, 2023
U.N. Wants Nations To Do More To Police Online ‘Disinformation’
The United Nations wants member nations to do more to police what it says is online disinformation. This includes what it calls “hate speech” and anything that would derail efforts to mitigate climate change.
June 20, 2023
Now Defense Department Wants To Build Electric Aircraft To Cut Down On Emissions
A military funding authorization bill includes a number of provisions to help lower the emissions of the U.S. military, including money to develop an electric aircraft.
June 19, 2023
Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Deletes Tweet Predicting End Of World Next Week
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg posted a tweet in 2018 predicting the world would end on June 21, 2023 (next Tuesday). She’s since deleted the tweet and chances are good we will still be alive.
June 16, 2023
Radical Climate Lawsuit Activists 'Weaponizing' Legal System In Montana To Stop Oil And Gas, Critics Say
A radical anti-fossil fuel organization coordinated with 16 youths to sue Montana for allowing oil and gas development. Critics say climate activists are using the legal system to circumnavigate legislative processes.
June 15, 2023
Proposed Federal Rule Would ‘Stop All Human Activity’ On Public Lands, Say Wyoming Industries
A proposed rule by the Bureau of Land Management to allow public lands to be leased for conservation has mobilized Wyoming industry leaders and lawmakers, who say it would 'stop all human activity' on those lands, including recreation, grazing, and oil and gas development.
June 15, 2023
Tesla Sells More Electric Cars Than Anyone, But Has Lower ‘Woke’ Credit Score Than Tobacco Giant
Environmentally friendly Tesla rates lower on ESG — aka “woke” credit score — than tobacco companies. Critics of ESG say this shows how “ridiculous” the movement is.
June 14, 2023
Suicide Rates ‘Unprecedented’ At Wyoming Mines, Claiming Seven Miners At Four Mines
At the four soda ash mines in southwest Wyoming, seven miners have taken their own lives in the past five years. In that same period, there were no deaths from accidents, making suicide the greatest safety risk at Wyoming mines.
June 11, 2023
Railroad Cost-Cutting Is Ruining Service At Expense Of Wyoming Mineral Industry, Expert Says
Poor rail service has greatly disrupted the ability of Wyoming coal mines to deliver coal to customers. Railroads blame labor shortages, but an expert in rail transport says management also is a big part of the problem.
June 09, 2023
Demonized Under Biden Administration, America’s Mining Industry Rallies To Defend Itself
With much of what it does invisible to the public, the mining industry is vulnerable to policies that make it hard to mine in America, industry leaders say. They're now looking for ways to tell their story more effectively.
June 09, 2023
Wyoming Company Finding New Uses For Coal, Targets China's Control Of Rare Earths
At a coal mine near Sheridan, Wyoming, tests show it contains large quantities of highly prized rare earth elements. Ramaco is developing the resource and other technologies to give new life to Wyoming coal.
June 08, 2023
New York Lawmaker Wants To Ban Use Of Fossil Fuels In Making Wind Turbines And Solar Panels
If a bill banning the use of fossil fuels in the creation of green energy projects were to become law, it would be the end of renewable energy. There’s no feasible way to manufacture and transport wind turbines, solar panels and electric vehicles without fossil fuels.
June 07, 2023
By 2050, Used Wind Turbine Blades Will Exceed 43 Million Tons Of Waste
Because wind turbine blades are very difficult to recycle, the waste stream created by the retired blades is a mounting problem. By 2050, there will be 43 million tons of blade waste produced — the equivalent of 215,000 locomotives.
March 01, 2023
War Over Wind Farms And Eminent Domain — "It's Like A Gun To Your Head"
A Niobrara County commissioner on Monday told a Wyoming legislative committee that when a company told him they were going to build a pipeline on his ranch and he had no say about it, it was "like a gun to your head."
June 05, 2023
Potential For Catastrophic US Electric Grid Failures This Summer A Reality
A reliability assessment of the nation’s electrical grid shows increasing potential for blackouts during heat waves. Coal-fired power plants, the report states, are being retired before enough new generation sources are being put on the grid.
June 05, 2023
New Study Claims Top Oil Companies Should Pay Nearly $210 Billion A Year In Climate Change Reparations
A new study funded by anti-fossil fuel foundations argues that oil companies should pay nearly $210 billion a year for economic losses stemming from climate change. Critics call the study biased and morally flawed.
June 03, 2023
Ireland Looking To Kill 200,000 Cows To Fight Climate Change; Are US Herds Next?
In the latest effort to reduce emissions from agriculture, Ireland said it may kill 200,000 cows. Meanwhile, climate activists have American farms and ranches in the crosshairs.
June 03, 2023
Wyoming Lawmakers Want To Tax Electric Vehicle Drivers To Make Up For Lost Fuel Revenue
As Wyoming highways see more traffic from electric vehicles (EV), the Wyoming Department of Transportation, which is supported by fuel taxes EV drivers don’t pay, is looking at ways to tax them to pay for using Wyoming roads.
June 01, 2023
Energy Watchdog List Of Biden Anti-Fossil Fuel Efforts Grows To 150
The Institute of Energy Research updated its list of actions taken to crush the oil and gas industry since the day President Joe Biden took office. The new list has grown to 150 actions.
June 01, 2023
Wyoming Puts Brakes On EV Charging Station Buildout Plan
Saying it could be left having to pay back millions of dollars if companies abandon their EV charging stations, Wyoming has pushed the pause button on a $24 million federal buildout plan.
May 31, 2023
Developing Yellowstone: Not That It Would Ever Be Developed, But … What Types Of Resources Are Located There?
No one would ever seriously consider building mines, geothermal plants, wind farms and sawmills in Yellowstone National Park. But in an alternate universe, what resources are even available at Yellowstone?
May 28, 2023
Bill Would Make It Easier For Feds To Take Private Land For Power Transmission Lines
A bill before the U.S. Senate would give a single federal agency siting authority for transmission line projects, which are going to grow exponentially for green energy push. The agency would also be able to take private land for these projects.
May 26, 2023
As Utilities Switch From Coal To Natural Gas, Biden Administration Now Wants To Shut Them Down Too
Wyoming’s largest utility already planned to convert coal-fired electricity units to natural gas in anticipation of meeting emission reduction targets. Now the EPA wants to shut down natural gas plants as well.
May 26, 2023
Following Backlash, DOE Says It Won’t Give $200 Million to Company With Ties To Communist China
The U.S. Department of Energy scrapped $200 million in funding to Microvast, a technology company with strong links to China. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, said he's "stunned it took he Biden administration this long" to admit it's wrong for the U.S. to give money to Chinese companies.
May 24, 2023
Widely Cited Study Claiming Negative Health Impacts From Oil, Gas Was Funded By Anti-Oil, Gas Groups
A new study that claims oil and gas activity contributes to thousands of premature deaths was widely reported as fact, including by Wyoming media organizations. The problem is, the study was paid for by anti-fossil fuels organizations.
May 22, 2023
Wyoming Reportedly On Shortlist For $14 Billion Petroleum Refinery
Wyoming energy czar Randall Luthi told legislators he hopes Wyoming is on the shortlist of states being considered for a proposed new $14 billion petroleum refinery.
May 22, 2023
Tagged A Racist Climate Denier, Anti-Authoritarian Professor Challenges Climate-Crisis, Diversity Narratives
Dr. Matt Wielicki’s family immigrated from communist Poland when he was a kid, which instilled in him a lifelong anti-authoritarian streak. Now he challenges the climate crisis and diversity narratives, which he says are undermining freedom and meritocracy.
May 20, 2023
Anti-Oil Blue States Cash In On Fossil Fuel Industry While Wyoming Producers Beholden To Feds
A new analysis shows that the economies of California and New York, two states that are the most hostile to the oil and gas industry, are among those get the most money from it. Meanwhile, the Biden administration limits Wyoming’s fossil fuel production.
May 19, 2023
Wyoming Could Satisfy Uranium Demand For Advanced Reactors, But Will It Be Allowed To?
With uranium prices rising and the development of advanced nuclear reactors moving forward, the state’s Joint Minerals Committee on Friday discussed the potential for Wyoming uranium mines to meet that demand.
May 19, 2023
Climate Alarmists Claim They Are Being Abused On Twitter Since Elon Musk Took Over
Climate alarmists claim they are targets for abusive and hateful attacks as they try to fight “climate denial” on Twitter since Elon Musk took over the platform. Their Twitter feeds, however, suggest they dish it out pretty good themselves.
May 17, 2023
Report: Hot Summer Could Bring Blackouts As Western Power Grid Deteriorates
An annual assessment of grid reliability across the U.S. shows that two-thirds of the country are at an elevated risk for blackouts if there's a heat wave this summer.
May 17, 2023
Wyoming’s Second Utility-Scale Solar Farm On Pace To Be Online This Year
The 950-acre South Cheyenne Solar Project broke ground this spring as expected, and it’s still on task to finish by the end of the year, despite supply chain and contractor availability issues.
May 16, 2023
BLM Wants To Allow ‘Non-Use’ Of Public Land To Block Oil And Gas Development
The Bureau of Land Management is proposing a rule that would allow environmentalists to lease public land for conservation, effectively blocking it from any development, including oil and gas drilling, as well as grazing and recreation.
May 16, 2023
As U.S. Grid Grows Unreliable More People Buy Generators To Hedge Against Blackouts
More Americans are getting home generators to back up the power grid as it becomes less reliable. Survivalists say designing a reliable home electrical system is more than just buying a generator at the hardware store.
May 15, 2023